Barcelona and Bayern Munich are both interested in appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager, according to reports.

Pochettino was sacked as Tottenham boss on Tuesday with his side having won just three of their opening 12 Premier League fixtures this season.

The north Londoners have already appointed former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho in his place, ending an 11-month absence from the game for the Portuguese.

It is not yet clear what Pochettino plans to do in the short-term, but he could be offered a quick return to the dugout by either Barcelona or Bayern.

Ernesto Valverde’s failure to win the Champions League in either of his two full campaigns at the Camp Nou has seen him come under pressure.

Valverde survived last season’s semi-final collapse against Liverpool, in which Barcelona threw away a 3-0 lead from the semi-final first leg to suffer an ignominious elimination at Anfield, but remains unpopular among a large section of supporters.

The Blaugrana are currently top of La Liga on goal difference, but any downturn in form could prove fatal for Valverde.

The Sun report that Pochettino would be high up Barcelona’s list of targets if a vacancy become available, although the ex-Espanyol boss has previously insisted that he would be unable to coach his former club’s arch-rivals.

Bayern are currently without a permanent manager after sacking Niko Kovac earlier this month, with Hansi Flick handed the job on an interim basis until Christmas.

They too are admirers of Pochettino, even though the Bundesliga champions have tended to favour German-speaking managers in the recent past.

Manchester United were heavily linked with the Argentinian after they fired Mourinho 11 months ago, but the incumbent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is thought to retain the backing of the club’s board despite a mixed start to the season.