Confusion reigns with Ranieri 'announcement'

Another day, another angle.

A day after Claudio Ranieri was believed to be leaning towards a stay in Serie A with Parma, and amidst stories that the Shinawatra deal was on the verge of collapse, comes reports that Ranieri has agreed to take the vacant City job once the takeover by Shinawatra is completed.

Sky Sports were first to report this earlier this evening and there hasn't been much follow-up from other news outlets (or the club) in actually confirming the story as legitimate.

This of course all comes after the afternoon news that Ray Ranson had withdrawn his offer - but may re-enter the race should Shinawatra make a formal bid, which on the back of the Ranieri reports (if true) seems to be the end of any hopes that Ranson has of gaining control of the club.

If Ranieri has agreed to take the job, he must have almost certainly been tipped off that the takeover will be completed in the not too distant future, given that by doing this he appears to be severing his relationship with Parma.

Hopefully, the next week will draw a line under all of this and we can finally have new owners and a new manager in place, and get on with the important business of trying to put together a side for next season - something that is imperative given the lack of international football this summer is leading to sides bolstering their squads even at this early stage.