Tottenham Hotspur's reported managerial target Roberto De Zerbi is believed to have a summer release clause in his contract at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Who do Spurs want as their next manager?
The north London club relieved Antonio Conte of his duties over the weekend after a string of underwhelming results culminated in a fiery press conference from the Italian after their draw against Southampton.
A number of managers are believed to have been shortlisted by the director of football Fabio Paratici, which is said to have included De Zerbi.
However, a fresh face has emerged as one of the frontrunners over the last week following the dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann from his role at Bayern Munich.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has revealed the current Brighton coach could become available in the summer for Spurs, with his contract holding a release clause:
"This is my information, and I can tell you what I know – I know there are different reports on the story. But from what I understand, there is a way out for Roberto De Zerbi from Brighton at the end of the season.
"Many can call that as a release clause. Many can call that as a compensation formula. Many can call that as a private agreement, but from what I understand, there is in the contract of Roberto De Zerbi and his staff, only for the summer – so not valid in March, in April, in May, but only in the summer period – the possibility for Roberto De Zerbi to leave Brighton, in case a club will pay that money.
"I'm told that this amount of money is more than the reported £10m. So it's something more than this."
Would De Zerbi be a good fit for Spurs?
Since joining the Seagulls, De Zerbi has done a stellar job, which sees Brighton sitting just seven points off Tottenham in the table whilst holding three games in hand over the north Londoners.
De Zerbi's side have also outshone Tottenham in the FA Cup having made it to the semi-finals where they will face Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
However, there may be some concerns as to whether De Zerbi would be able to replicate his impressive record over to a club like Spurs where there are bigger egos to contend with.
Brighton remains a selling club despite their impressive 2022/23 campaign with their recruitment showing the likes of Tottenham up over recent years.
However, managing at a club with a bigger reputation and players of a bigger stature can prove a difficult transition as has been the case with Graham Potter at Chelsea.
On the other hand, it has to be noted Mauricio Pochettino made a similar transition from Southampton back in 2014 and his tenure at the club will be looked back on as one of the best in the club's history.
But it does seem as if Spurs may have to wait until the summer to appoint their permanent manager but they would have to be sure on De Zerbi if they were to pull the trigger.
Since Pochettino's departure, there has been a managerial merry-go-round in north London and fans will not want to see another manager come and go within the space of the next two years.
De Zerbi has still not had a full season of managing in the Premier League so there is certainly some risk linked with his potential appointment.
"His impact in England will be massive," said Pep Guardiola and praise of that magnitude could be an encouraging sign of what he could potentially do at Spurs.