Romelu Lukaku once described Antonio Conte as the "best manager in the world", with the Italian set to become the new Tottenham boss.
football.london understands that Conte is expected to replace Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a deal likely to be announced at some time on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old Italian coach has been without a job in football since leaving Inter Milan over the summer after securing the Serie A title for the club for the first time in over a decade.
One of the players Conte managed at the San Siro - Lukaku - previously explained how he is the "best manager in the world", before he made the move from Manchester United to Inter.
"I was always a big fan of the Italian league," Lukaku told Sport Mediaset in June 2019, under two months before he teamed up with Conte in Milan.
"I have two leagues which I always dreamed about which are the English league and the Serie A. So for me, the Serie A is my favourite league as well - I love Italy."
He added: "With the transfer of [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think the Italian league is now coming back. Antonio Conte going back to Inter Milan, which is really good because he is, to me, the best manager in the world.
"And then you have Maurizio Sarri going to Juventus and [Carlo] Ancelotti at Napoli. So I think Serie A will be really exciting next year and I'm really happy for Italian football.
"He [Conte] knows what I think about him. I'm not somebody who likes to talk about my personal relationships with managers, but you know, I'm a player of Manchester United and I have to respect my club.
"And if something happens, the teams and my agent have to do the talking. I have my decision and stay outside."
Lukaku's praise of Conte were eventually justified, with the former Chelsea boss guiding Inter to the Italian top-flight title last season.
In his time under Conte in Milan, Lukaku re-established himself as one of Europe's deadliest strikers - and his form, that saw him score 47 goals in 72 Serie A appearances under the Italian's tutelage.
The form of Harry Kane has been a concern for Tottenham supporters so far this season, so they will be desperate to see Conte get their star man firing again should he be appointed.
