Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly lodged a 'casual request' to hold talks with Julian Nagelsmann over their managerial vacancy.
Spurs announced on Sunday night that head coach Antonio Conte had left the club by mutual consent after just 16 months in charge.
Conte departs the North London club after enduring disappointing FA Cup and Champions League exits earlier this month before a 3-3 draw away at Premier League basement club Southampton sparked a scathing attack by the Italian on his players and the club's hierarchy.
Cristian Stellini – Conte's former number two – has since been promoted to take the reins until the end of the season, with Ryan Mason acting as assistant coach.
Daniel Levy is now set to embark on a busy few months as he searches for Conte's successor, and a host of managers have already been linked with the Spurs vacancy, including 35-year-old Nagelsmann.
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The German was surprisingly relieved of his duties at Bayern Munich last week, with Thomas Tuchel brought in as his replacement, even though the Bundesliga giants are still in the mix to win three trophies this season.
A recent report claims that Nagelsmann is the leading candidate among a 10-man managerial shortlist to replace Conte at Tottenham, with Levy hopeful of holding imminent talks.
According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Spurs have reached out to Nagelsmann and his representatives and have made a 'casual request' to speak with the German over replacing Conte.
However, Plettenberg adds that no concrete talks or negotiations have taken place between the two parties and Nagelsmann is expected to take time over a decision about his future.
It is understood that Nagelsmann could be an option to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid this summer, with the current Los Blancos boss facing an uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu as his contract expires in June.
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During his 20-month spell as Bayern head coach, Nagelsmann won 60 of his 84 games in charge across all competitions, while he managed to get his hands on last season's Bundesliga title and two German Super Cups.
Prior to managing Bayern, Nagelsmann spent three years at Hoffenheim, where he won German Football Manager of the Year in 2017, and two years at RB Leipzig who he steered to a 4-0 aggregate victory over Spurs in the 2019-20 Champions League en route to the semi-finals.
Should Tottenham fail in their pursuit of Nagelsmann, Levy may look to target former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, who is currently out of work after leaving his post as Spain head coach after the 2022 World Cup.
The likes of Porto's Sergio Conceicao, Eintracht Frankfurt's Oliver Glasner, Celtic's Ange Postecoglou and Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi have also been linked with the Spurs managerial vacancy.
Oliver Thomas
