Man United bidder Sir Jim Ratcliffe eyes Graham Potter to take the top job at Nice

According to reports, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering a move to appoint Graham Potter as head coach at his Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.

The Ineos Group billionaire is the frontrunner to take over Manchester United after making his latest bid for the club at the end of April, but his first assignment this summer will be a changing of the guard on his side of the Riviera.

After Nice fired former head coach Lucien Favre in January, reserve coach Didier Digard was given the interim reins for a short period before being permanently appointed to the position.

But the French club has struggled for consistency as the season draws to a close, currently eighth and out of reach of the European places.

Les Aiglons were also eliminated from the Europa Conference League in the quarter-finals by FC Basel at the end of April.

Head coach Didier Digard’s days at the Riviera may be numbered after he took over in January

From Nice MatinFavre’s days with the clubs may be numbered.

Potter has been out of work since his abrupt sacking last month and the Chelsea boss has been hesitant to move on quickly.

After Leicester sacked Brendan Rodgers, he was closely associated with the Foxes before the eventual appointment of Dean Smith, and Potter’s name has been mentioned in connection with West Ham should they decide to leave David Moyes this summer.

The former Brighton manager is said to be favored by Ineos’ sporting director Dave Brailsford, who is said to be interested in installing a British manager at the Cote d’Azur club.

Thiago Motta, who manages Serie A side Bologna, is a candidate to take over Digard, favored by Ineos Sport CEO Jean-Claude Blanc, but as the former Paris Saint-Germain player is in contention for Christophe Galtier, should the former Nice manager get his marching orders in the French capital, Potter may have an edge.

Dave Brailsford (left) is eager to convince his boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) of Potter’s suitability

The 47-year-old will no doubt wish for a change of scenery after a torrid nine months in West London.

During Potter’s spell as Chelsea leader, the manager posted the worst points per game of any Chelsea coach in the Premier League era, as he struggled with a lack of preparation, a burgeoning injury crisis that left him without starters, including Reece James, Ben Chillwell and Thiago Silva, and an ever-growing squad rife with January transfers.

His reign at Stamford Bridge was followed by an astonishingly short turn from his assistant Bruno Saltor before Frank Lampard was parachuted in to oversee the remainder of the team’s 2022/23 season.

Former Tottenham and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was said to be waiting in the wings to join The Blues at the end of the season.