Brazilian manager Marcos Paqueta said on Tuesday he is close to taking charge of Egyptian champions Zamalek following the sudden departure of Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira.
"Yes, I'm on the verge of signing for Zamalek," Paqueta told Qatari channel Al-Kass on Tuesday.
"But the deal is not completed yet. We are now in talks about my potential assistants."
The Cairo giants are looking for a new coach to replace Ferreira, who unilaterally terminated his contract with Zamalek, citing several reasons including the constant attack on him by the club's outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour.
Paqueta, who started his coaching career in 1987, is very familiar with Arab football, having managed Qatari sides Al-Gharafa and Al-Rayyan, UAE outfit Al-Shabab and Saudi giants Al-Hilal.
He was the coach of the Saudi national team in the 2006 World Cup before leading Libya from 2010 to 2012.
The 57-year-old guided Brazil to win the U-17 World Championship and the U-20 World championship titles in 2003.
Paqueta is not the only candidate for the Zamalek job as the names of his compatriot Paulo Campos and Romanian coach Laurențiu Reghecampfare also linked with the White Knights.
