Tottenham Hotspur reportedly intend to meet with Maurizio Sarri next week as they plan for life after Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese boss has emerged as the bookmakers' new favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked from his post after his side's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United last weekend.
Mourinho set an unwanted record of losing 10 top-flight matches in a single season for the first time with that loss on their own turf, and a recent report claimed that Sarri is being eyed as a possible replacement for the 58-year-old.
According to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Spurs' interest in former Chelsea boss Sarri is genuine, and the Lilywhites are planning to hold talks with the 62-year-old as early as next week as Daniel Levy weighs up his managerial options.
The report adds that Sarri is pondering his next career move after being made aware of Tottenham's interest, but Roma and Napoli are both realistic destinations for the recently-axed Juventus manager, who has been out of management since being sacked by the Old Lady last summer.
Under Mourinho, Spurs suffered a humiliating last-16 Europa League exit to Dinamo Zagreb, and the North London side are six points adrift of the top four in the Premier League with seven games left to play.