Mauricio Pochettino is willing to accept an offer from Manchester United to take over as their next head coach.
United have begun talks with the Argentine over the possibility of him replacing Michael Carrick, who is expected to be dismissed from his role within the next 48 hours.
Sources have told BBC Sport that once Carrick’s situation is resolved, USA manager Pochettino is keen to take the job.
US Soccer officials anticipate a formal approach from United, and sources have told BBC Sport that they have a contingency plan in place for their manager’s departure, which includes a succession plan.
Pochettino, the former Tottenham and Chelsea boss, wants to stay respectful toward the US Soccer Federation and will wait for United to make their approach.
The Red Devils would have to pay $10m (£7.5m) to release Pochettino from the contract he signed only in August.
The USA faces a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti over the coming week.
With confidence in a succession plan, there is a possibility that Pochettino may not be in charge for those games.
On Thursday, US Soccer cancelled planned player media duties, citing a clash with Veterans Day, although some reports claimed it was done to prevent the squad from being asked about their manager.
Pochettino, 54, is understood to see managing United as a serious opportunity, and the expectation is that he would accept the job if it were formally offered.
United have spoken with the former Argentina defender about their managerial position on three previous occasions when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2018, then in 2022 before the club appointed Erik ten Hag, and again when the Dutchman was sacked in 2024.
Carrick’s future at United will be settled at a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday attended by chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Berrada and Wilcox have flown to Monaco for one of their regular, planned meetings to discuss strategy for the football club.
On this occasion, the main issue to be decided is Carrick’s future and what should happen next.
Berrada and Wilcox are expected to recommend that the head coach be dismissed.
Carrick, 45, was photographed arriving at the club’s Carrington training base on Wednesday.
United sit 18th in the Premier League inside the relegation zone after winning only one of their first 10 games and none since August.
It is the club’s lowest position at this stage of a top-flight season since 1986-87, when they were 20th.
Pochettino’s first Premier League job was at Southampton from January 2013, followed by a five-year spell at Tottenham from 2014 that included a Champions League final appearance.
He managed Paris St-Germain from January 2021 to July 2022 before spending the 2023-24 season in charge of Chelsea.
Pochettino stepped into international football by taking the USA job in September 2024, and he guided the co-hosts to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Although it might seem somewhat immoral for Manchester United to be speaking with a potential new manager before deciding whether their current one will stay, this type of situation is not unusual in football.
Jose Mourinho had agreed to a contract with United in 2016 before Louis Van Gaal was sacked, which is how reports including from BBC Sport emerged that the Dutchman would be dismissed while he was celebrating the FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace.
Looking further back, Mark Hughes was replaced by Roberto Mancini straight away at Manchester City in 2009. News of Hughes’ impending dismissal was reported on the morning of his last game in charge.
It is impossible to get to that point without talks having taken place beforehand, and it would be naive to believe they do not happen in a world where agents are pushing clients for jobs that either exist or do not, or where clubs are trying to gauge interest before making a decision.
One source has told me that the terms for Pochettino to join United are more or less agreed. I have also been told that if they decide to go ahead, the United team can determine whether the former Spurs and Chelsea bosses stay with the USA team for their matches against Haiti.
If he did stay, it would require a quick turnaround from a Tuesday night match which ends in the early hours of Wednesday to be at Carrington for preparations ahead of United’s game against Liverpool at Anfield on 22 November.
