Leicester City have targeted Guus Hiddink as their new manager with talks already understood to have taken place. The 70-year-old Dutchman is regarded as the ideal candidate to steady the club following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri.

Through intermediaries, Leicester are also believed to have made an approach to the Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira, who is at 1860 Munich. However, they may miss out on both .

Hiddink performed a similar task at Chelsea last season – when Jose Mourinho was sacked only months after winning the Premier League title, just as has happened to Ranieri. Hiddink turned Leicester down before Ranieri succeeded Nigel Pearson in the summer of 2015 and it is believed he is unsure whether to take the job now.

Leicester want to appoint Hiddink until the end of the season and then to review what to do next. Hiddink’s experience in the Champions League is also regarded as vital, with Leicester’s last-16 tie against Sevilla in the balance with the home leg to come.

Although it is understood that Hiddink has indicated that he probably does not want the job, he has not been ruled out. Pereira, who has previously been linked with Everton and Southampton, has indicated that he would prefer to stay and see out the season in Munich although Leicester may still seek to dissuade him.