Tottenham Hotspur were aware of manager Mauricio Pochettino's meeting with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu in Spain this week, a source has told ESPN FC, with the get-together increasing speculation he is a contender to become the La Liga club's next coach.

The source at Tottenham said Pochettino and Bartomeu have been friends for years, and that the club knew of the meeting in a central Barcelona restaurant.

Current Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has announced that he will step down at the end of the current campaign, but the club remain in contention to retain the title in La Liga and win the Champions League.

Pochettino owns a property in Barcelona, where both of his sons were born. But he spent 10 years as a player and coach with Barcelona's local rivals Espanyol, and in September referred to Barca as his "sporting enemy."

Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the Barcelona job. Michael Regan/Getty Images

Pochettino has turned Tottenham into Premier League title contenders since joining from Southampton in 2014, and he signed a new five-year contract in May before guiding them to a club-record third-place finish in the Premier League.

Asked about speculation he could manage Barcelona shortly before Luis Enrique announced his departure last month, Pochettino said: "I can't say anything. I'm at Tottenham. I am very happy, [I have] four more years of my contract, enjoying an exciting project. It's true it's not an easy project, but I'm very happy here."