Jose Mourinho has reportedly pinpointed Newcastle as the ideal club for his return to Premier League management should Eddie Howe depart St James' Park.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss is said to be eyeing a fifth managerial stint in England, with his sights set on developments at Newcastle as he grows increasingly discontented at Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.
According to The Guardian, the 61-year-old has contacted intermediaries to keep him informed about the situation behind the scenes at Tyneside, where Howe's three-year tenure is not assured of long-term stability.
Despite a recent 1-0 victory over Arsenal, Newcastle had previously gone five Premier League games without a win and currently sit 11th in the table, far from their Champions League group stage appearance last season under Howe.
Although Howe is not immediately under threat, he lost two key allies with the exits of directors Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi last summer.
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Mourinho was seen socialising with Newcastle chairman Yasir al-Rumayyan at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, and it is reported that this connection has been maintained.
The Portuguese manager made a concerted effort to charm British journalists during Fenerbahce's Europa League tie with Manchester United last month, and has frequently voiced criticism of the Turkish league during his tenure there.
Mourinho launched a blistering attack on Turkish football governance, following last week's edgy 3-2 triumph against Trabzonspor. Post-match, Mourinho lashed out, declaring: "In the end, I'm working in Turkey. It's not my country.
"I care because it's my job and I care because it's my club. But I think you Turkish, you should care about it! You Turkish, you should speak, not me. You should denounce. You should say what is going on, year after year."
"You should do it, not me. Because I will be the one under attack, the one the system will criticise. The system will try to punish me, the system will try to close my mouth.
"Nobody abroad wants to watch the Turkish league. Who wants to watch this Turkish league abroad? They have the Premier League, they have the French league, they have the German league, they have the Portuguese league, they have the Dutch league.
"Why should they see this? ... It's too grey, it's too dark, smells bad. But that's my job, and I will give everything to my job, to my club."
