Former Leicester and Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri has been appointed Cagliari boss, the Serie B club announced on Friday.

Ranieri, 71, returns to Sardinia after guiding the outfit to Serie A promotion in 1990 before famously helping outsiders Leicester to the Premier League title 26 years later.

"Cagliari Calcio are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement with Claudio Ranieri who will take over the first team from 1 January 2023," they said.

"The coach has signed a contract that binds him to the Rossoblu club until 30 June 2025."

His first game in charge during his second spell at Cagliari, 14th in the table, will be on January 14 as they host Como in the second tier.

Ranieri has been out of work since January when he was sacked by English club Watford after less than three months in charge.