Arsenal and Barcelona have been put on red alert after reported managerial target Jorge Sampaoli delayed new contract talks with Sevilla until the summer.
The Chilean has been a revelation since he took over at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium last July, and has led Sevilla to third in La Liga this term and the Champions League knockout rounds in his first season at the helm.
Despite his contract running until June 2018, Sevilla are keen to tie the 56-year-old down to a long-term deal. According to the Daily Mirror, though, those planned discussions have been put on hold by Sampaoli himself, and both Arsenal and Barcelona could look to strike while the iron is hot as the two European giants weigh up options to replace their current bosses.
Sampaoli told reporters ahead of his side's clash with Leicester City that he was relaxed about his situation at the club, and explained that he was in no hurry to commit his future by penning a new contract with Sevilla.
He said: We appreciate that they are trying to renew our contracts but to do that while we are in the present is very difficult.
We only want to live in the moment. The way we work is like this and there are many reasons to appreciate the present.
Is Jorge Sampaoli the man to reacquaint Barcelona with their own religion? | @TimDCollins https://t.co/4G4TvCpJIm pic.twitter.com/SRIhl5XJSl
This is the most important game for Sevilla, we want to be one of the best eight teams in Europe and that's more important than thinking about the future.�
Arsene Wenger's future at Arsenal has been well documented in recent weeks, with reports continually surfacing that the Frenchman is likely to depart at the end of the season.
Numerous names have been thrown into the ring as possible successors to Wenger, with Borussia Dortmund's Thomas Tuchel and Juventus' Massimiliano Allegri thought to be the frontrunners for the role.
Sampaoli's name, however, has not been linked with the Emirates until this week and, with the Sevilla boss now being coy on where his future lies, the Gunners' hierarchy may add his name to the ever growing list of candidates to take over from Wenger.
Another possible appointment, Monaco's Leonardo Jardim, has been backed to "be on Arsenal's shortlist" by French football journalist Julien Laurens. After Tuesday night's eventual 5-3 defeat to Manchester City, though, the Portuguese's name may have fallen down the pecking order of potential Wenger replacements.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are looking increasingly likely to dispense with current boss Luis Enrique if newspaper reports are to be believed.
The 46-year-old's position with the Catalan giants have come under scrutiny since the turn of the year, with reports of ill-discipline setting in among the first-team squad at the Camp Nou, and the club's heavy Champions League last-16 first leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain increasing the pressure on the ex-Barca star.
Enrique's own contract runs out this summer but, despite speculation thatBarcelona are looking to replace him once the 2016/17 campaign comes to a close, the club have publically stated that they have "no plan B" to fall back on if they follow through with media reports and let Enrique leave.
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