Mauricio Pochettino on Barcelona links: "You never know what will happen in life"

Mauricio Pochettino has made an apparent U-turn on his declaration that he would never consider managing Barcelona by admitting that "you never know what will happen in life".

Speaking in 2018, then-Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino categorically ruled out taking charge of Barca or Arsenal, insisting that he would "prefer to work on a farm".

However, Pochettino has been out of a job since leaving Tottenham in November and is rumoured to have been lined up to succeed Quique Setien at Camp Nou this summer.

The 48-year-old, who spent a combined five years at Espanyol as a player and coach, now appears more open to managing Catalan rivals Barca.

"Let me be clear about this. I had just visited Barcelona and I bumped into [president Josep Maria] Bartomeu at a bar," he told El Pais. "We said hello because our children were at the same school and we chatted for about five minutes.

"This generated a rumour which raised alarm bells because there were other teams that wanted me, and when I was asked about it, I wanted to be categorical.

"I did not want to disrespect Barcelona. I could have said things differently. Espanyol has made my career. But I'm not arrogant and didn't want to say something like that.

"Maybe now I would not have said it because you never know what will happen in life."

Pochettino has also been touted as a possible target for Juventus, despite the club publicly backing Maurizio Sarri last month.