Former Argentina and Chile manager Jorge Sampaoli has reached an agreement to join Brazilian club Santos, the club has announced.
Details of the deal have yet to be divulged, though Sampaoli's lawyer said earlier on Thursday that his salary would likely not exceed R$1 million ($260,000) per month.
The 58-year-old Sampaoli has not coached since managing Argentina at the World Cup in Russia this past summer where the Albiceleste fell to eventual champions France in the round of 16.
Oficial: Santos FC e Jorge Sampaoli têm um aceite assinado na proposta para que o argentino seja o treinador da equipe em 2019. Os últimos detalhes e a assinatura do contrato devem ser finalizados em encontros presenciais neste final de semana. pic.twitter.com/ZF3m3j3XuW
— Santos Futebol Clube (@SantosFC) December 13, 2018
Ariel Holan, manager of Argentina club Independiente, was also under consideration.
Last month, unconfirmed reports linked Sampaoli with the China national team and with Atlanta United. The Major League Soccer club had reportedly offered the veteran manager a higher salary than that offered by Santos. He was also linked to Rio de Janeiro side Flamengo last year.
Sampaoli managed the Argentina national team from 2017-18 and the Chile national team from 2012-16 with a stint coaching La Liga club Sevilla in between.
It will be his first experience in Brazilian league football. He has previously coached in the leagues of Argentina, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Spain.
He won three league titles managing Universidad de Chile as well as the Copa Sudamericana championship. He led Chile to their first Copa America championship in 2015, beating Argentina in the final.