Mauricio Pochettino on shortlist of candidates at Inter Milan and Juventus

Mauricio Pochettino is on the shortlist of candidates at Inter Milan and Juventus should the Italian clubs sack their manager at the end of the season.

Pochettino, 48, has been assessing his next move after leaving Tottenham Hotspur last November, with his preferred choice to stay in the Premier League after seven years working in England.

But his availability has made him an attractive option in Italy for the two clubs who appointed former Chelsea managers last summer, with Antonio Conte returning to his homeland after a year out and Sarri landing the Juve job.

While both are competing for trophies, they have also seen their positions come under scrutiny during the campaign. Sarri is on course for the Scudetto but has been accused of failing to get the best of his players.

Conte has been trailing in the title race and was also knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage but is still in the Europa League.

Pochettino is on the radar for both and he will come into their thinking if a change is needed when the campaign is over.

The Argentinian took Spurs to the Champions League final last season but was sacked after Spurs slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League table with just three wins in the opening three months of the campaign.

He was still getting paid his £8.5million salary during his break from football and has been waiting in the wings for the next suitable opportunity to arise, with football on hold during the initial coronavirus pandemic spread.

Telegraph Sport reported that Spurs would be entitled to compensation if Pochettino landed a job before the end of the season, but he would be able to move without a fee this summer.

Pochettino, speaking at the launch of La Liga TV earlier this year, revealed his next job will be in Spain or England, although it is thought that his preference would be to stay in the Premier League due to its intense weekly competition among the 20 teams. Atletico Madrid in La Liga and Borussia Dortmund have also been monitoring him.

However, with no obvious departures from the big English teams, Italian clubs may try to tempt him with the chance to work with a squad capable of competing for the title and Champions League.

Inter Milan bought Christian Eriksen from Spurs after he became one of the Premier League’s stars. The Italians have also recruited Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young from the English top-flight and loaned Alexis Sanchez and Victor Moses.

Sarri left Stamford Bridge after one year and his campaign at Juve has not been without problems. His team dropped points at Sassuolo in their last match and he said: "A coach expects consistency from his team, it's something we've been lacking both physically and mentally.”