Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Nice are lining up a surprise move for Graham Potter at the end of the season with the Ligue 1 club keen to appoint the former Chelsea manager as their next boss, according to reports in France. The ex-Brighton and Swansea tactician was axed by Todd Boehly in early April following a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa after months of turbulent results which reportedly saw him bank up to £13million.
Leicester are said to have made an approach for Potter’s services following the dismissal of Brendan Rodgers but the 47-year-old has instead opted to take some time away from the game to recharge his batteries.
Now it appears another offer could be set to arrive on the table with French newspaper Nice-Matin reporting that Potter is of strong interest to Nice.
The report claims Les Aiglons are preparing to part company with Didier Digard in the coming weeks with Nice currently on course to finish outside of the European qualification places in Ligue 1 following an underwhelming campaign.
Nice are owned by British billionaire Ratcliffe, who is currently occupied with trying to purchase Manchester United, while INEOS seek to implement change and continue driving the French club forward this summer.
It’s understood Sir Dave Brailsford, who is also the General Manager of the Team Sky cycling, is keen on appointing an English coach at Nice and Potter tops the bill.
Brailsford allegedly intends ‘to satisfy’ Ratcliffe with a statement appointment to match their ambition as INEOS seek to drive Nice back into the Champions League following a six-year absence.
Other managerial candidates are also in the frame including Thiago Motta, who is said to have disclosed that he is holding out for a return to Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Brazil and Italy international midfielder spent six years as a player with PSG before beginning his coaching career with the club’s U19 side in 2018.
Since then, he has enjoyed three spells in Italy with another former club Genoa, Spezia and Bologna where he currently remains in charge.
Nice are currently eighth in the Ligue 1 table with four matches left to play before the end of the campaign.
Les Aiglons have recently extended Aaron Ramsey’s contract by a further year after an appearance-related clause in his current deal was triggered last week.
The Welshman is said to be in talks over a longer deal with Nice as discussions continue behind the scenes.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel recently waxed lyrical on life at Nice under Brailsford and Ratcliffe, both of whom he holds in high regard.
The Dane told Sky Sports: “One of the biggest reasons that I joined Nice was because of INEOS and because of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, their vision and how they want to evolve their sports.
“Because they’ve been successful, not just in business, but in every other sporting venture they’ve thrown their investment at.
“I think with Manchester United particularly, Jim [Ratcliffe] is a big fan of the club and that speaks a lot to fans.
“He’s someone coming in who cares deeply about the club. From my own experience at Nice, he’s a man who is present, he comes to games, a guy that’s knowledgeable about football and who has a vast knowledge about performance in general.”
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