Olaroiu back to Al Hilal

Al Ain coach Cosmin Olaroiu looks set to rejoin Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the summer, despite being on course to guide his current club to the Etisalat Pro League title this season.

Reports in Saudi and Olaroiu's native Romania said the 42-year-old former National Bucharest centreback has been offered a €12 million (Dh58 million) three-year deal, with the two parties apparently in agreement after initial talks.

Such a contract would make Olaroiu, who is currently said to be on a contract at Al Ain worth $1.7 million (Dh6 million), the highest-paid Romanian coach in the world. At present, Shakhtar Donetsk's Mircea Lucescu is on a reported €3 million a year in Ukraine and Dan Petrescu at Russia's Kuban Krasnodar earns €2 million per annum.

Olaroiu has already managed Al Hilal from 2007 to 2009 in between spells at Steaua Bucharest and Qatar's Al Sadd. He won the league and cup double with Steaua in 2006 and repeated the achievement with Al Hilal in 2008. Al Ain, the UAE's most successful club, are currently top of the UAE league, nine points clear of second-placed Al Shabab with five games left.

However, the Garden City club, famous for a record nine league and five President's Cup titles, plus a 2003 AFC Champions League triumph, is not in contention for any other silverware this season.

Al Hilal of Riyadh, currently managed by former Al Ahli coach Ivan Hasek, are third in the Saudi league with two games remaining, four points off league leaders Al Shabab.