Lyon manager Bruno Genesio will be given a contract extension despite rumours that Jose Mourinho had been in line to take over as coach, sources close to the club have told ESPN.
Former Manchester United and Chelsea boss Mourinho has said repeatedly in the last few weeks that he would like to manage in Ligue 1 one day.
Lyon would have been the only destination possible at this stage, but Mourinho will now have to wait to fulfill his desire to manage in France.
Genesio’s current deal expires at the end of the season and after weeks of speculation around his future, club owner Jean-Michel Aulas will now make the announcement after his team’s Coupe de France semifinal against Rennes on Tuesday, the sources said.
Lyon will hand Genesio a new two year contract with an option for a third. Aulas took his time making the decision with knowledge that a large segment of the club’s supporters were unhappy with results and style of play and wanted the team to move in a different direction.
However, Aulas is now set to back the 52-year-old, who was born in Lyon, came up through the academy, spent the majority of his playing days with the club and has the support of the dressing room.
Genesio took over for Hubert Fournier on Dec. 24, 2015, when the team was ninth in the table and went on to finish second in Ligue 1 that season. In his first two full campaigns, Lyon finished fourth in 2017 and third in 2018. They are currently third in the table this year, four points behind Lille in second and 24 behind leaders and champions-elect Paris Saint-Germain.
Lyon’s gap of seven points over St. Etienne and eight over Marseille puts them in great position to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with the prospect of also winning the Coupe de France if they can advance past Rennes for a finals date with either PSG or Nantes.
In this season’s Champions League, Genesio took four points off Pep Guardiola in the group stages (a 2-1 win at the Etihad and a 2-2 draw at the Parc OL) but his team went on to be knocked out in the round of 16 by Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate after managing a goalless draw at home in the first leg.