Tottenham Hotspur will target Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe if current boss Mauricio Pochettino leaves to join Manchester United.
Pochettino has been heavily linked with the United job in recent months, and the speculation has continued following the sacking of Jose Mourinho on Tuesday. United announced that club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take charge of the team until the end of the season, and Pochettino is said to be one of the heavy favourites to assume control next summer.
News of Tottenham's interest in Howe comes from The Daily Mail, who claim that Tottenham are preparing themselves for a £40m bid from United for their manager, and are lining up Howe if Pochettino does move to Manchester. Real Madrid are also thought to be targeting Pochettino, but Tottenham are desperate for the Argentinian to remain at the club.
Howe is regarded as one of the finest English managers in the country, and has proven himself to be committed to player development and attractive football, which is said to be appealing to Tottenham.
Pochettino, meanwhile, is thought to be increasingly frustrated with the lack of financial investment in his squad, after Tottenham failed to sign any new players during the summer.
According to the report, sources close to Pochettino have confirmed that he believes he needs substantial investment to win the league title, and he fears he will not be given such backing in the near future.
He has subsequently refused to dismiss the speculation linking him to the United job, prompting Tottenham to come up with a contingency plan if he does leave the club.
Howe arrived at Bournemouth with the club facing relegation from League Two, but he eventually managed to guide the Cherries to promotion to League One. After a brief spell in charge of Burnley, he returned to Bournemouth and secured promotion to the Premier League in just three years.
After helping Bournemouth to a 16th-placed finish in their first season in the top flight, Howe transformed Bournemouth into a mid-table side, and his work with the club is widely regarded as one of the most impressive managerial feats in modern Football League history.
Source: 90min
