Zenit appoint Italian coach Mancini

“Zenit football club welcomes Roberto Mancini to Saint Petersburg and wishes him success as manager of the white-and-blues,” the club wrote on its website.

Zenit have signed a three-year deal with the 52-year-old coach, who won three consecutive Italian Serie A titles with Inter Milan in 2006-08 and led Manchester City to the English Premier League title in 2012.

The club said the agreement includes the option of an extension for two more years.

No financial details of the deal were disclosed but rumours have swirled in the Russian press that Mancini will pocket around five million euros a year as Zenit manager.

The Saint Petersburg outfit, backed by state-owned gas giant Gazprom, sacked Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu last week after a disappointing third place league finish saw them miss out on Champions League football next season.