Tottenham linked with Maurizio Sarri move

Tottenham have been linked with a move for former Chelsea and Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri if Jose Mourinho is shown the exit door.

Pressure is mounting on current boss Mourinho after Spurs fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. This comes after they blew a 2-0 first leg lead against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League round of 16, while their chances of improving on last season's sixth placed Premier League finish are remote.

Speculation that Daniel Levy is preparing to give Mourinho his marching orders has increased in recent weeks and the latest name to be linked is Sarri. According to Rai Sports (via the Daily Mail), the Italian is one of the names on Levy's shortlist of replacements.

He is currently without work, having been dismissed by Juventus at the end of last season despite steering I Bianconeri to their ninth straight Scudetto. Prior to taking over in Turin, Sarri was at Chelsea where he guided them to Europa League glory but never fully earned the backing of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Now, he could become the latest former Blues manager to take over at Tottenham after Andre Villas-Boas and Mourinho were handed the reigns in 2012 and 2019 respectively. However, it is thought that Napoli are also interested in Sarri's services. The 62-year-old enjoyed a decent spell in Naples between 2015 and 2018, narrowing missing out on the Serie A title in 2018.

If Levy decides to veer away from former Chelsea managers for once, 90min understands that Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is another name being seriously considered. The Northern Irishman's reputation has been strengthened by his fine work at Leicester, with the Foxes challenging at the top of the Premier League table in each of his two full seasons at the club.