Watford have reportedly set their sights on former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri as a replacement for current Hornets boss Walter Mazzarri, according to the Leicester Mercury.

Mazzarri, who was appointed as manager last summer as the successor to Quique Flores, has had his future at Watford shrouded in speculation, with the fans of the Hornets not impressed by his brand of football throughout this Premier League season.

Watford are currently occupying 10th place in the Premier League table and are on course for their first top-half finish since 1987, but Hornet’s owner Gino Pozzo is reportedly disappointed by the team’s achievements this campaign.

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Claudio Ranieri, who won the Premier League title with Leicester City last-season, has reportedly been marked as a possible replacement at the end of the season.

Ranieri has been out of management since being controversially sacked by the Leicester City owners in February, nine months after steering the Foxes to their first ever Premier League title.

However, the 65-year-old, who oversaw Watford’s 4-0 loss to Tottenham at White Hart Lane last week, is supposedly unwilling to negotiate while Mazzarri is still in charge at Vicarage Road.