Mauricio Pochettino is expected to reject any approach from Aston Villa to succeed the sacked Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard was on Thursday night dismissed less than two hours after Villa's 3-0 defeat at Fulham, which left the club with just nine points from their opening 11 games and placed precariously above the relegation zone.
Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris are determined to appoint a big-name replacement for the former England midfielder and are prepared to give the new boss carte blanche to spend big in an attempt to transform the club's fortunes.
Pochettino is understood to be a leading target for the job, with Villa hoping to tempt the former Tottenham boss into another long-term project to revive a sleeping giant.
But Pochettino, who was sacked by French giants Paris Saint-Germain in July, is in no rush to return to management and is holding out for a top-level job at a Champions League club.
The 50-year-old still lives in London and has made no secret of his desire to work in the Premier League again but is not thought to be interested in being dragged into a relegation dogfight in the Midlands and is instead happy to bide his time for the right offer either in England or abroad.
