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Claudio Ranieri will wait for a job in the Premier League before returning to football next season.

French side Nice are keen on the Italian, who has not worked since his shock sacking by Leicester in February.

But Ranieri, crowned the FIFA Coach of the Year in January after the Foxes' 5,000-1 title triumph, wants his next job to be back in England.

And the 65-year-old, who also led Chelsea for four seasons, is prepared to see what offers he receives in the summer before making a decision, with Southampton — ironically currently managed by last season's Nice boss Claude Puel — and West Ham weighing up managerial changes.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

Nice are lining up a replacement for Puel's successor Lucien Favre, with the Swiss set to take over from in-demand Thomas Tuchel at German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund next season.

Celta Vigo coach Eduardo Berizzo, whose side visit Manchester United in a Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday, is also on Nice’s shortlist.

With ex-Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli up front, they led Ligue 1 earlier in the season and will enter the Champions League in the final round of qualifying in August after already guaranteeing themselves a third place finish.

Ranieri, who also previously coached Nice's neighbours Monaco, still has a house in Monte Carlo – half an hour’s drive away along the Cote d’Azur.