Newcastle United have a clear desire to bring in Rafael Benitez to steer the ship away from relegation.
According to the Daily Mail, Magpies officials have the Spaniard at the top of their wish list as they seek a short-term replacement for Steve McClaren.
Reports have suggested that McClaren would have been sacked by now but managing director Lee Charnley has not been able to find an apt stand-in who could guide the north east club out of the bottom three in the final 10 games of the season.
Former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss Benitez is back living at his home in Wirral following his dismissal by the Spanish giants in early January and is reportedly prepared to sign a deal which would see him take the reins at St James' Park on an interim basis, just as he did at Chelsea back in 2012.
Benitez is wanted by Charnley, who has been given control of the situation by owner Mike Ashley, but there are other candidates on the list including ex-Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes, former Swansea City and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, Nigel Pearson who was sacked by Leicester City last summer and Harry Redknapp who has extensive experience in England with such clubs as West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and QPR.
