Cardiff City want highly-rated Irish coach Brian Barry-Murphy to spearhead their bid to return to the Championship.
And according to WalesOnline, they have already offered the former Cork City midfielder the job.
However, they could be thwarted by Barry-Murphy’s current club Leicester City, where he currently works as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s number two, while Plymouth are also thought to be interested.
The Foxes would have to agree to release the 46-year-old from his contract and there is no guarantee of that happening, given how highly regarded he is.
Barry-Murphy has been linked with some top coaching roles in recent times after his successful spell as Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad manager.
He was previously linked with a coaching role on Stephen Kenny's senior Ireland staff.
Cardiff are currently in talks with Leicester in a bid to secure the former Ireland Under-21 international’s signature.
Owner Vincent Tan is eager to get Barry-Murphy into the role as soon as possible so that he can begin to plan for their assault on League One.
The Bluebirds were relegated from the Championship last season after finishing rock-bottom of the second-tier.
According to WalesOnline, Cardiff have explored a range of potential manager options, including Aaron Ramsey, Des Buckingham, Ian Evatt and Nathan Jones.
However, Barry-Murphy enjoys influential support among board members after reportedly blowing away the interviewing panel with his vision for the club.
He worked with Pep Guardiola at City and is believed to be ready to delve into Cardiff’s youth structures to help steer the club back up the English football ladder.
His only previous spell as a manager was with Rochdale. Barry-Murphy did well to keep them in the League for two seasons, before Rochdale were relegated.
However, the manager won plaudits for the style of play he implemented and the work performed with home-grown talent.
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