Former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has asked for time before deciding whether or not to commit to taking over at Zenit St Petersburg.

The Russian club, who recently parted company with new Belgium boss Dick Advocaat, has revealed that it is in talks with Spalletti, confirming that they would require the Italian's services for the new season which is scheduled to start in March.

"We talked it over for a long time with the Russian directors, but now I need time to think and evaluate the situation," Spalletti told the Corriere dello Sport.

"I first have to get to know Russian football and an idea of how the team is doing at the moment. Their minimum objective must be Champions League qualification."

The news comes on the same day that Zenit announced that they have placed Anatoly Davydov in charge of first team affairs for the rest of the year.

It is, however, unclear whether or not Davydov, a former youth team coach at Zenit, will continue as head coach next season.