FORMER World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is being tipped to take over as coach of China to replace Gao Hongbo, reports said.

    “Lippi, coach of China,” ran the headline on the front page of Italy’s second-most popular sports daily Corriere dello Sport on Wednesday.

    It claimed the Italian maestro was “inclined to accept the offer” and added: “In the coming days, the former Italy coach will travel to Beijing to pore over the details of the Chinese association’s offer.”

    However, the China Football Association’s Huang Shiwei said the selection process for a new coach was continuing.

    “Only two things I can tell you now. First, we have accepted Gao Hongbo’s resignation.

    “Secondly, for the coach candidate of the national soccer team, we are doing relevant selection work and our selection has not been finished,” he said.

    Gao resigned Oct. 11 following a 0-2 World Cup qualifying defeat to Uzbekistan.

    The result left China’s chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia looking slim.

    Sitting a lowly 78th in FIFA’s rankings, China has claimed just one point from four games and dropped to bottom place in a Group A, which includes Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Syria and Qatar.

    Lippi, who steered Italy to its fourth and most recent World Cup triumph in 2006, is not new to working in China.

    The 68-year-old coached Chinese top flight side Guangzhou Evergrande to three consecutive Super League titles between 2012 and 2014.

    Corriere dello Sport said last month that Lippi was set to return to the club on a three-year deal worth 20 million euros (US$21.91 million) net per season — a salary that would have put Pep Guardiola’s world-beating 17.7 million euros annual salary at Manchester City in the shade.

    (SD-Agencies)