 Ex-Chelsea boss Ranieri took over at Parma in February |
Claudio Ranieri has resigned as manager of Italian Serie A side Parma. The former Chelsea manager is expected to eventually take over at Manchester City, who sacked Stuart Pearce at the end of the season.
The 56-year-old Italian took over the struggling Parma side in February and guided them to safety, with a 12th-place finish.
His impressive stint has reportedly convinced the City board he is the man to take over from Pearce.
A statement from Parma said: "Claudio Ranieri has informed the club of his intention to leave his role as first-team coach.
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"The club would like to thank him for the precious work he carried out, which resulted in keeping Parma in Serie A. We wish him success for the future."
Ranieri told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport: "The Manchester City challenge reminds me of the experience I had at Chelsea where without spending �1, we built a good team.
"I created the Chelsea miracle from nothing. My achievement convinced Roman Abramovich to buy the club. Then, mountains of money came as well as a selection of top players."
However, it could be the end of next week at the earliest before he is formally installed at Eastlands.
Talks over a deal for former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to buy the 29% stake of chairman John Wardle and business partner David Makin by the end May have dragged on.
The paperwork is now being handled by the former Thailand Prime Minister's lawyers.
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