Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that he is open to the idea of managing Celtic in the future.

The Italian guided City to their first Premier League title in 2011-12 and also boasts three Serie A titles from his first stint in charge of Inter Milan but has been out of work since last August when he left the Italian giants by mutual consent.

Mancini has since been linked with a return to the Premier League as a replacement for Claudio Ranieri, but says that he is tempted by the idea of taking on the Hoops, who are currently 25 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

"The Scottish fans are the best in the world, I love them," he told the Sunday Post. "In one way it would be nice to see Celtic and Rangers in the Premier League, but I don't think it will ever happen because it would also be the end of Scottish football.

"I want to add one thing. If Celtic were to build a team strong enough to regularly compete in the Champions League, I might decide to manage them one day. For me, that is the next step for them, and one which I believe they are trying to take.

"Winning the league has become normal for them. They have the fans and the history. Now they have to strive to become an important player at the top level in Europe."

Celtic have never progressed beyond the round-of-16 stage in the Champions League.