Fulham head coach Marco Silva has rejected another lucrative offer to become the new manager of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, according to reports from Portugal.

Both TVI and CNN in Portugal are reporting this evening that the Portuguese coach has rejected an extraordinary offer of around £17m a year to take charge of the PIF-funded side. Speculation that Silva might be tempted to take the Saudi cash had reached fever pitch over the last week, especially as a host of big-name managers, including Jose Mourinho, had rebuffed advances from Al-Hilal.

Silva, though, wants to build on the success of his first two years in SW6 having guided Fulham back to the top flight by winning the Championship in his first season after succeeding Scott Parker and then steering the Whites to tenth in the Premier League last term. He has yet to sign the long-term contract offered by the Cottagers as he is waiting to see whether the club’s summer acquisitions match his own ambition but Silva is understood to be happy at Craven Cottage and is preparing for a full campaign in charge of Fulham.