New Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier wants to make Gary McAllister his assistant manager.
Houllier has been turned down by both current caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald and Phil Thompson, previously his number two at Liverpool.
And now he is hoping to tempt former Reds midfielder McAllister, who he signed as a player in 2000, to leave his current post as first-team coach of Championship side Middlesbrough.
Boro boss Gordon Strachan revealed to BBC Tees: “There is (interest). I’ll speak to Gary over the next couple of days.”
Houllier is expected to officially take charge of Villa at the end of the month once he has completed his commitments as technical director for the French Football Federation.