The Malta FA are in advanced talks with Pietro Ghedin to extend his contract as national coach.

A new deal for Ghedin has been on the cards for some time after Malta FA president Norman Darmanin Demajo had announced that there was a consensus among the association’s Executive Committee that the Italian coach has done a very good job over the past three-and-a-half years.

Ghedin’s previous deal with the Malta FA expired at the end of last month but discussions to extend the contract started last week and continued over the past few days.

Details of the proposed agreement are still unclear but Ghedin, who is held in high esteem in local football circles, is expected to remain in charge of the national team until the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup qualifying trek.

Malta have been drawn in Group F along with England, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania.

Sources have indicated to Times of Malta that an agreement between Ghedin and the MFA is imminent as there is a mutual willingness from both parties to extend their working relationship.

Ghedin began his second stint as Malta coach in 2012, succeeding John Buttigieg who was dismissed by the MFA after the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Under the Italian, Malta attained a 1-0 win over Armenia in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and commendable draws away to Bulgaria (1-1) and at home to Azerbaijan (2-2) in the Euro 2016 qualifying trek which came to an end last October. The national team also produced creditable performances in their last four meetings with Italy.

The 63-year-old has also blooded a host of promising youngsters into the senior squad, the likes of Rowen Muscat, Zach Muscat and Bjorn Kristensen while Llywelyn Cremona, Ryan Camenzuli, Clyde Borg and Emanuel Briffa featured for the national team in the friendly match against Jordan last November, Malta’s last official outing in 2015.