According to a report by Calciomercato, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur and by extension chairman Daniel Levy have made out of work boss Maurizio Sarri their 'first choice' target after held meetings.
The Lowdown: Sarri linked to Tottenham
The former Chelsea boss has been sporadically linked to Spurs over the last month, with reports first emerging that the Lilywhites and Sarri had held discussions over a meeting in London (La Gazzetta via the Daily Mail).
Alasdair Gold was quick to dismiss those claims in a football.london Q&A but there were no shortage of whispers from Italy in particular touting Sarri with the now vacant managerial role at Tottenham.
There were even suggestions that Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne could 'follow' the 62-year-old to Spurs or his next destination (Paolo Bargiggia).
The Latest: Sarri made 'first choice' by Spurs and Levy
Now, as per this update by Calciomercato, the Lilywhites have made Sarri their 'first choice' (via Sport Witness) target after it was claimed a meeting between the two camps took place right after Jose Mourinho's sacking last month.
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Indeed, this backs other reports of Tottenham contacting Sarri (Football Italia), with Calciomercato going a step further and claiming the talks are 'destined to intensify'.
He was, at one point, an overwhelming favourite to take the job at AS Roma - but the surprise announcement of Mourinho's appointment has left Sarri out in the cold.
This has forced him to consider other options and has now authorised agent Fali Ramadani to ‘listen to important calls’.
The Verdict: Do it now Levy...
While the former Napoli boss doesn't exactly fit into the 'young' and 'dynamic' criteria of manager reportedly wanted by technical performance director Steve Hitchen (The Mail), we believe his brand of football more than makes up for it.
He is known for his attacking, high pressing philosophy which even earned it's own nickname in 'Sarri-ball' - with legendary former AC Milan boss Arrigo Sacchi being among his many admirers.
The Italian icon lauded his compatriot as a 'genius' (via Planet Football), meanwhile former Man City defender Danilo believes he is 'very similar' to Pep Guardiola (Globo Esporte via the Mail).
Indeed, the fact he is out of work comes as another major incentive to make a move given the potentially cheap nature of his appointment with no buyout to pay to a current employer.
For these reasons, we utterly concur with Levy that the former Blues boss should indeed be the 'first choice' target for Spurs.
In other news: Sky reporter lifts lid on plan for Spurs this summer, find out more here.