Watford have reportedly set their sights on former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri as a replacement for Walter Mazzarri this summer.
Speculation over Mazzarri's future has grown in recent weeks despite the Hornets being almost guaranteed to spend a third consecutive season in the Premier League following their 1-0 win over Swansea City on Saturday.
Watford currently sit 10th in the table and are on course for their first top-half finish in the top flight since 1987, but owner Gino Pozzo is still understood to be disappointed by the team's achievements this season.
Pozzo dispensed of Quique Flores last summer despite a 13th-place finish - avoiding an immediate return to the Championship for the first time in the club's Premier League history - and a trip to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Mazzarri's position is similarly in doubt, and The Express claims that title-winning manager Ranieri has been earmarked as a possible replacement for his compatriot.
The 65-year-old has been out of management since being controversially sacked by the Foxes earlier this year, just nine months after steering the club to the most remarkable title triumph in English football history.
Ranieri is known to be a friend of the Pozzo family, although he is reportedly unwilling to discuss terms while Mazzarri remains in the job.
Barney Corkhill
