Dutch trainer Dick Advocaat has said his talks with the Russian football officials on a deal to become a coach of the Russian national team "were on the right track," a Russian sports newspaper said on Friday.
Advocaat, 62, quit his job as coach of Belgium on Thursday, although his contract with the Belgian FA was supposed to last until 2012. He said the decision was not easy but the prospect of working with the Russian national side was too compelling.
"The talks [with Russia] are still underway and we have not yet come up with a contract. But we are on the right track," the Sovetsky Sport daily quoted the Dutch coach, who led Zenit St. Petersburg to the Russian title and the UEFA Cup during his three years with the club.
The paper speculated that Advocaat's salary in Russia could be as high as five million euros a year.
In addition, Russia would most likely have to pay compensation of around a million euros to the Belgian FA for his breach of contract with the Belgian national team.
The Sovetsky Sport said the contract could be signed in a matter of days and the official presentation of Advocaat as manager of Russia could be held at a Russian Football Union's conference on May 17.
The new head of Russian football's governing body is former Zenit president Sergei Fursenko, the man who initially brought Advocaat to Russia.
Fursenko confirmed on Friday that the contract with Advocaat had not been signed, but said the Dutch trainer was a "good candidate" for the job.
MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti)
