Mauricio Pochettino has entered early discussions with AC Milan over the club’s vacant managerial position following the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri.
The former Tottenham and Chelsea boss is currently focused on leading the United States into this summer’s World Cup, but uncertainty remains over his future beyond the tournament, with his current deal reportedly running until the end of the competition.
Speaking after a training session on Thursday, the 54-year-old denied personally meeting Milan officials when directly questioned, though he did not rule out contact through his representatives.
“Maybe, possible, because they need to do their job,” Pochettino said when asked whether his agents had spoken with the Serie A club.
He added: “If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone? We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”
Despite growing speculation, Pochettino insisted his main attention remains on the World Cup, which begins on 11 June and will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Argentine also revealed that discussions have taken place with US Soccer Federation chief executive JT Batson regarding a possible long-term future with the national team setup.
“He asked if we are open to listen to the project of the federation for the next four years,” Pochettino explained. “And we said of course we are open. Do you think that if we have a commitment with another people, we are going to waste time to listen?”
Batson praised Pochettino’s honesty over outside interest and confirmed several clubs had shown interest in appointing him.
“He’s been incredibly transparent,” Batson said. “There were lots of people interested in Mauricio and his team. He had standing offers from other places and he wanted to be here.”
Batson also highlighted Pochettino’s belief in football’s growth in the United States and his commitment to the national team project.
Pochettino has been without a club role since leaving Chelsea after the 2023-24 season. During his lone campaign at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League and lost the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool.
Before Chelsea, he guided Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title and French Cup during an 18-month spell in France. He is best known for his successful period at Tottenham, where he spent more than five years and led Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final.
As a player, Pochettino was an Argentina international defender and also represented Espanyol and Southampton before moving into management.
Milan are searching for a new direction after parting ways with Allegri earlier this week. The Italian giants missed out on Champions League qualification after slipping from third to fifth in Serie A following a final-day defeat against Cagliari.
Although Milan secured a Europa League place, the club’s leadership reportedly labelled the season an “unequivocal failure,” prompting another managerial change at San Siro.