Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to appoint Graham Potter as he moves ever closer to becoming the new owner of Manchester United, according to reports.
The Mirror states that Ratcliffe and INEOS are confident of completing a takeover from the Glazer family at Old Trafford, but does face competition from Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani. Final bids for the Premier League club were submitted last month.
It is believed that the Raine Group, who are administering the sale on the Glazers' behalf, may announce a preferred bidder by next week.
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Speaking last October, Ratcliffe said: "I've met Joel and Avram [Glazer] and they are the nicest people, I have to say, they are proper gentlemen."
And as developments continue, it is said that Ratcliffe has set his sights on appointing former Chelsea boss Potter as manager at another club within his portfolio.
Nice Matin suggests that the board of INEOS-owned French club, OGC Nice, are planning who will succeed caretaker boss Didier Digard next season, with Potter at the forefront of their minds.
Despite impressing while in charge of the club, the report states that Dave Brailsford, director of INEOS Sports, would like to replace Digard with an English coach.
The report adds, however, that uncertainty is currently rife at the Allianz Riviera, with INEOS thought to be prioritising the purchase of United ahead of anything else.
L'Equipe mention that former Italy midfielder Thiago Motta is of interest to Nice, but is keen on fulfilling a potential vacancy at former club PSG, as Christophe Galtier's future is unclear.
Potter was sacked by Chelsea in April after spending just seven months in the Stamford Bridge dugout, leaving the Blues in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
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