Is a move to the Nou Camp really possible for the ex-Tottenham manager?
The paper believes that the La Liga giants will move to appoint the Argentinian should they take the decision to sack ‘under pressure’ Ernesto Valverde.
They’re not the only team in the hunt for Jose Mourinho’s predecessor at Spurs.
It’s also reported by the outlet that Bayern Munich consider him a candidate to take over from interim manager Hansi Flick following the departure of Niko Kovac.
A move to Barcelona would be particularly surprising when you take into account Pochettino’s extensive links with rivals Espanyol.
He played with the Spanish top-flight side for seven years throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. He also managed them for three years before taking charge at Southampton.
Back in 2017, he told The Guardian that a switch to Barcelona would be almost impossible.
He said: “I am an Espanyol supporter. I don’t think I need to speak too much. It’s like if one day [the Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy sacked me – in a few years it would be impossible for me to manage Arsenal.
“In football I know it is so difficult to keep your values and to be loyal – with your heart and emotion. But for me before being a manager, before being a player, being loyal is more important. I am an Espanyol fan. I love Espanyol.”
As it stands, Valverde has won back to back league titles with Barcelona and current tops the table again this season, despite setbacks.
If Barcelona are truly in a rush to replace him with Pochettino then it sounds like it’d take a lot of persuading from their end, given the Argentinian’s past comments.
You can never rule anything out in football, but this particular move seems far-fetched, especially if other huge sides like Bayern are knocking on the door.
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