Rafa Benitez has admitted his 'priority' is to manage in the Premier League next season.
The former Liverpool boss has been tipped as a dream appointment for Celtic who are on the lookout for Neil Lennon's permanent replacement.
There has been a number of names in the running with Enzo Maresca, Chris Wilder, Roy Keane and Eddie Howe among the more likely candidates.
Benitez, who won the Champions League with Liverpool and counts Napoli, Newcastle and Real Madrid among his former teams, had been ambitiously linked.
He has been out of work since leaving Dalian Professional earlier this year and has admitted he is holding out for a return to England.
And while he is ruling nothing out, he added that the right job is 'not there at the moment' - which appears to rule Celtic out of the equation.
When asked about his next club he told The Times : “A competitive team that allows you to challenge for trophies, or a project that allows you to improve and grow and do better.
“The priority is England. Why? Because obviously I like the Premier League and my family is here.
"I have a lot [of offers] from the UAE, United States, Brazil, China, but I want to stay in Europe. And I want to stay in England.
“If it’s the right one, we can do it tomorrow but the project, the competitive team, is not there at the moment so we have to wait. But I don’t want to stay without working.
"I want to be on the pitch as soon as possible.”
