Basel coach Paulo Sousa declined to rule out taking over at Sampdoria next season amid growing speculation he is being lined up to replace Sinisa Mihajlovic at the Genovese club.
The Portuguese coach is contracted to the Swiss champions until 2017 but there has been intense media speculation in Italy that he is the Blucerchiati's top choice to replace Mihajlovic, who is being touted as a replacement for Rafael Benitez at Napoli.
When asked by Switzerland's Blick newspaper whether he had already had contact with Sampdoria, his answers were as revealing as they were evasive.
"I'm just focusing on Basel and the important objectives we have together," he said. "We want to win the league and once we've done that, we'll have a week to prepare for the cup final."
When asked to answer yes or no to whether he had already met with Sampdoria, Sousa said: "I'm just focusing on my club, FC Basel, and on my players. I am Basel coach for the next two years."
Is that something the 44-year-old could promise?
"No, nobody can promise anything," he said. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow. What I can promise is that I will work hard for my club so that we reach our goals. It's always a sign of recognition [to be linked with jobs abroad], but it is also recognition for my players."
Sousa, a former Juventus and Inter Milan midfielder, signed a three-year contract with the Swiss champions last summer and is on course for a league and cup double at the end of his first season in charge. He also led Basel to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they were beaten by Porto.
Mihajlovic has been noncommittal about his future in Genoa, saying he prefers to concentrate on getting Samp into Europe before considering his options in the summer.