Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Jorge Sampaoli yet to commit to Sevilla amid Barcelona links - sources

Jorge Sampaoli has still not agreed to commit to a contract extension with Sevilla amid continued speculation linking him with the Barcelona job, sources have told ESPN FC.

Catalunya Radio reported on Wednesday that the Argentine coach had been definitively ruled out of the running to replace Luis Enrique in the summer, but however slim the chance, Sampaoli remains interested in taking over at Camp Nou.

Barcelona sources couldn't comment on Sampaoli's chances of landing the job, but told ESPN FC the process is ongoing and it's still early to rule anyone out or in.

Sevilla's surprise Champions League elimination to Leicester City on Tuesday and back-to-back draws in La Liga -- which have seen them lose ground on Real Madrid and Barca in the title race -- have seen Sampaoli's chances diminish this week.

The board were never convinced about him in the first place but he topped all of the fan polls in the local media after Luis Enrique announced earlier this month that he would leave the club following three years in charge in June.

Sampaoli signed a two-year deal with Sevilla last summer and while the club's president Pepe Castro remains hopeful he will extend for an additional year, there has not yet been any movement on the coach's side as he waits to see how things play out at Barca.

However, Catalunya Radio says the former Chile boss' lack of experience in Europe coupled with his lack of knowledge of the club count against him in comparison with the other candidates.

Sporting director Robert Fernandez has admitted that a coach with a previous connection to the Catalan club would be preferred, although he was keen to stress that wasn't the only route being pursued.

That is thought to be the favoured one, though, with Ernesto Valverde and Juan Carlos Unzue currently the front runners.

Athletic Bilbao coach Valverde is out of contract in the summer and spent two years playing for Barca almost 30 years ago. He has been linked with the vacancy before, losing out to Gerardo Martino and Luis Enrique.

Unzue is Luis Enrique's assistant and, but for brief spells with Numancia and Racing Santander, has never been a No. 1, but that didn't stop Barcelona replacing Pep Guardiola with Tito Vilanova in 2012.

Recent results, such as the stunning comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, have led the club to think that continuity could be the best thing, according to Diario Sport, which has seen Unzue's chances of getting the job increase.

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