Basel Agree to Release Paulo Sousa Ahead of Fiorentina Switch

Swiss champions, Basel, has agreed to let coach Paulo Sousa walk out of his contract after just one season.

Sousa is rumoured to be headed for the vacant coaching position at Serie A club Fiorentina.

The former Queens Park Rangers, Swansea and Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, 44, led Basel to the Swiss title and the last 16 of the Champions League in the first year of a three-year contract.

Coach Paulo Sousa and Brendan Rodgers Embrace after Uefa Champions League Game in Basel. Image: AFP/ Getty.
Coach Paulo Sousa and Brendan Rodgers Embrace after Uefa Champions League Game in Basel. Image: AFP/ Getty.

Fiorentina sacked coach Vincenzo Montella earlier in the month after guiding the side to a fourth-placed finish in the Italian league. The Florence outfit accused Montella, 40, who also had two years left in his contract, of “lack of respect.”

Fiorentina would become Sousa’s seventh club coaching job in eight seasons. The former Portugal international had spells with the likes of Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in his playing days as a midfielder.