Real Madrid are reportedly hoping to prise Mauricio Pochettino away from Tottenham Hotspur with a lucrative £85m offer for the Argentine.
The European champions are on the lookout for a new manager after sacking Julen Lopetegui just 14 matches into his reign following their worst start to a season for 17 years.
Sunday's 5-1 defeat to bitter rivals Barcelona in El Clasico left Madrid ninth in the Liga table, having now lost five and won just one of their last seven games across all competitions.
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been linked with the post, but Pochettino is understood to be Florentino Perez's first choice and Madrid are reportedly willing to offer him a five-year contract worth £17m per year to entice him to the Bernabeu.
However, Perez is aware that securing Pochettino's signature during the season could be troublesome, and he is willing to wait until next summer to finally get his number one target.
The club are also reportedly willing to offer Pochettino the chance to have a major say in transfer matters in order to build a new 'Galactico' team, including the possible signing of current Spurs striker Harry Kane.
Barney Corkhill
