Enzo Maresca contacted over shock return to Championship strugglers Leicester

Enzo Maresca is back in the spotlight following his turbulent exit from Stamford Bridge. The Italian tactician, who left the Chelsea bench only at New Year, has an offer on the table to return to the club where he made his name. Leicester City, who are drowning in crisis and searching for a manager to salvage a disastrous Championship season, want his services.

Maresca's spell in London ended ingloriously, although his statistics were not all that tragic. What broke him were his relationships with the hierarchy and his behaviour behind the scenes.

Club officials accused him of disrespect after it emerged that during his tenure he had repeatedly held talks with Manchester City representatives about a possible job. Maresca, who previously worked at City with the youth teams and as Pep Guardiola's assistant, even openly admitted to Chelsea in October and December that he was communicating with rivals.

On top of that, reports suggested the Italian lacked mental resilience and emotional maturity and repeatedly ignored recommendations from Chelsea's medical team.

Enzo Maresca to Leicester: Rescue mission with lucrative package

Now, 18 months after leaving Leicester, the Foxes want him back. The club recently sacked Marti Cifuentes, under whose leadership the team lost 11 of 29 matches and slipped into the bottom half of the second tier table.

According to The Mirror, Leicester's hierarchy have offered Maresca a short-term contract until the end of the season.

The deal includes a lucrative bonus-based package. The goal is clear and ambitious. Leicester have not given up hope of a late push for the playoff places, although the reality is currently quite different.

Leicester legend warns of relegation

Club legend Andy King has temporarily taken charge, but he too has so far failed to stop the slide, as confirmed by Saturday's defeat to Charlton.

When asked whether he fears relegation, King honestly replied: "Yes, potentially yes. We cannot escape the fact that we are not where we want to be in the table."

While there was speculation that Maresca could head to Real Madrid as a replacement for the sacked Xabi Alonso, a return to familiar surroundings at Leicester now appears a more realistic option. The hierarchy hope Maresca can repeat the magic of the past, turn the ship around and steer the team back towards the heights instead of fearing the drop.