Mauricio Pochettino, the United States men's national team head coach, is interested in a move to Manchester United, multiple sources told the Guardian, who described the interest as mutual.
United are expected to sack head coach Michael Carrick following a disastrous start to the season that has left the club at risk of relegation from the Premier League, their worst opening to a campaign in four decades.
Bringing in Pochettino would not be simple or cheap. His contract contains a release clause of around $10m (£7.5m), multiple sources familiar with the deal told the Guardian this week, a figure that increases if United also want to retain his staff, including longtime assistant Jesús Pérez, who has worked alongside Pochettino for 16 years. The Athletic first reported the details of the buyout clause.
Pochettino took charge of the USMNT in 2024 and led the team to a last-16 finish at the 2026 World Cup, a result widely viewed as a disappointment. US Soccer subsequently extended his contract through 2030, with both parties expressing commitment not only to improving the men's national team's results but also to reshaping the federation's approach to youth development.
"Every time we sign a contract, it's to go to the last day of the contract," Pochettino told reporters after his contract renewal. "If we sign a four-year contract, we need to think to arrive there. And we signed the contract because we really believe that we are going to be four years there. Because if not, it's bad. If we don't believe in that process, if we don't believe in that journey, why sign for four years? Only to be sure that we are going to receive a salary at the end of the month? That is not nice. It's not the way that we think. We really signed that contract because we really believe that we can arrive to the end."
Pochettino, who has been linked with several high-profile club jobs since arriving in the United States, tempered those comments by adding: "In life, nothing is sure. Less in football."
The USMNT are days away from a pair of Concacaf Nations League matches against Haiti in Cincinnati and Miami, their first competitive fixtures of the 2030 qualifying cycle. Pochettino is scheduled to speak to reporters on Friday afternoon.
