<<Print>>Jose Mourinho insists he is 'not looking for a club, clubs are looking for me', amid consistent reports that he is being lined up to replace Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.
The Portuguese has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in December 2015 following the worst title defence in Premier League history, but has remained coy about his future.
Mourinho is currently in Italy where he will attend former club Inter Milan's clash with Sampdoria, although he dismissed talk of a return to the San Siro - while claiming he is unsure of where his next management position will be.
'My next club? I really don't know, but one thing is certain: I love football and I'll return to the touchline with the same passion and ambition as always,' he said to La Stampa.
'Right now I have respect for every coach and every club. I'm not looking for a club, it's the clubs who are looking for me.' The 53-year-old clarified that he had returned to Italy - where he won the treble with Inter in 2010 - only to visit former President Massimo Moratti. 'I left Inter in 2010, and since then I've always been working hard, first with Real Madrid and then with Chelsea. For that reason it's been hard to find time to have lunch with the Moratti family.
'I want to clarify one thing though, I won't be in charge next season. Inter have a project, and it's Erick Thohir and Roberto Mancini. 'I want to see Inter smile again, and I hope tomorrow everyone can smile for an Inter victory.' The likelihood of Mourinho replacing Van Gaal at Old Trafford grew after the club's 2-1 Europa League loss to Danish minnows Midtjylland on Thursday - their second defeat in the space of five days.
Although United officials insist Van Gaal will remain manager for the rest of the season, there is a growing clamour for the under-fire Dutchman, who has the worst record of any United manager for 35 years, to be dismissed.
Chief executive Ed Woodward is loathed to go through yet more mid-season upheaval and is highly unlikely to pull the trigger before Monday night’s FA Cup game at Shrewsbury Town.