Ajax boss Frank de Boer is open to speaking with Tottenham about taking over as manager at the end of the season, although the north London club insist no official approach has been made.
De Boer led his team to a fourth successive Eredivisie title last weekend, further harnessing a burgeoning reputation that has often seen him linked with a move away from the Amsterdam ArenA.
Reports on Tuesday claimed Spurs had contacted the 43-year-old and, although the Barclays Premier League club confirmed to Press Association Sport that there has been no official approach, De Boer would consider a move to White Hart Lane.
"I'm going to think about this possibility after the last league fixture on May 3," he told nos.nl. "I'm going to talk and listen.
"I would like to add something to a club, that people can say they see the hand of Frank de Boer.
"There is a beautiful example at Liverpool. That is what Brendan Rodgers is doing now [making his mark]."
De Boer, a product of the fabled Ajax youth system, went on to play at Barcelona, Galatasaray, Rangers and then in Qatar before rejoining the Amsterdammers as a coach following his retirement, and has been first-team manager since 2010.
Bookmakers now make the Dutchman favourite to become Tottenham's next manager, ousting previous front-runner Mauricio Pochettino of Southampton.
Reports suggest it is a matter of when, rather than if, Tim Sherwood will be replaced at the White Hart Lane helm, with chairman Daniel Levy ready to tear up the 18-month deal handed to him in December.
Spurs are understood to be concentrating on ending the season well before reviewing the progress made under the head coach, whose win percentage is better than any other Tottenham manager in the Premier League era.
Should Sherwood get the boot, one of the legacies he will leave at Spurs is a focus on home-grown talent after his years of work within their youth set-up.
The former midfielder has put his trust in the likes of Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane, although fellow academy graduate Andros Townsend has found his time restricted under Andre Villas-Boas' successor.
The 22-year-old exploded onto the international stage when rewarded for his fine form in October, netting on his England debut against Montenegro before helping overcome Poland as Roy Hodgson's men secured a place in Brazil.
However, Townsend has not enjoyed the best end to the campaign and last started a Premier League match in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on March 16.
That lack of game time has seen his World Cup hopes weaken and, worse still, the winger sustained an ankle injury after coming on 12 minutes from time in Saturday's 1-0 win at Stoke.
Townsend left the Britannia Stadium in a protective boot and underwent an MRI scan on Monday, with further assessments taking place on Tuesday.
Spurs released a statement on the winger's condition on Tuesday evening, revealing they have yet to reach a conclusive prognosis.
"Andros Townsend is continuing to be assessed by the club's medical staff after suffering an injury to his left ankle during Saturday's win against Stoke City," the statement on the club's official website, www.tottenhamhotspur.com, read.
"We shall provide further information once we have a definitive update."
Source: PA
