Directors of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have contacted Manuel Pellegrini to see whether he would be interested in managing the Brazilian national team, the Chilean newspaper 'El Mercurio' claims.

"The CBF approached Manuel Pelligrini's people to inquire about his availability," an anonymous source told the newspaper.

'El Mercurio' added, however, that the Chilean manager turned down the offer because he wants to complete the two years left on his contract with Manchester City.

The newspaper went on to say that there are CBF members who believe in the possibility of the next Brazil manager being a foreigner for the first time in history, including vice president Marcos Ferreira.

In fact, the vice president even went as far as to say, "We have thrown ourselves into the task of looking for a replacement, but the new manager has to be someone who changes the players' mentality and the way they act. It's a silly idea that he can't be a foreigner."