ONE of the richest clubs in Asia has been knocked back in its pursuit of Tony Popovic, despite presenting the Wanderers boss with a multimillion-dollar offer.

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that Shanghai Shenhua held lengthy talks with Popovic over the past week, having identified the former Socceroo as one of a shortlist of three candidates including Roberto Mancini and Laurent Blanc.

Chinese media has reported that Mancini ruled himself out early on, and this newspaper understands that Popovic became the preferred candidate due to his experience of coaching in Asia — not just winning the Asian Champions League, but beating the continent’s richest club, Guangzhou Evergrande, on the way.

But Popovic has made clear to various suitors that he needs absolute control over players and backroom staff, and after Shenhua officials flew to Sydney this week to continue talks, Popovic eventually declined the opportunity.

It is believed Shenhua have now turned their attention to Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and will make the former Liverpool coach a similarly lucrative offer to move to Shanghai.

Though Popovic is contracted to Western Sydney for another two seasons beyond the current campaign, having signed a lucrative new deal in May 2015, the club has always made clear it would not stand in his way if a genuinely substantial opportunity was presented to him.

Western Sydney CEO John Tsatsimas confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that they were aware of Shenhua’s interest in Popovic, and were delighted that he had chosen to remain at the club.

“Tony’s been hugely successful since he and we started and it’s only natural that success will attract other clubs,” he said. “It’s not the first and it won’t be the last.

Tony Popovic has spurned a big money offer and will remain with the Wanderers. Source: Getty Images

“Tony, myself and chairman Paul Lederer have a transparent relationship and if something came up he was interested in, of course we’d talk about it.

“But his only focus now is the team and building more success this season.”

The 43-year-old has made no secret of his intentions to coach in Europe eventually, with a period in Asia seen as the most obvious stepping stone.

Shenhua sacked Spanish coach Gregorio Manzano last week, claiming his ambitions were not in synch with the club’s after finishing fourth in the Chinese Super League last season.

The club is bankrolled by the Greenland real state group, with ambitions to dominate Asian football.

In a recent interview, Shenhua president Wu Xiaohui said the club was seeking a young and energetic coach, with knowledge and experience of Asian football.

Popovic’s agent Bernie Mandic — for many years Harry Kewell’s agent — could not be contacted for comment, but was seen in Sydney at the start of this week in talks with Popovic at a Double Bay hotel.

According to reports in Italian media, Mancini was offered 12 million euros but couldn’t agree terms over player targets, while former Tottenham and Chelsea coach Andre Villas Boas joined Shanghai SIPG last week on a deal worth 12 million euros.

Given the advanced point that talks with Popovic reached, it’s unlikely that the three-year deal on offer would have been dissimilar in financial size.