Betting: Mancini favourite to take over at Leicester City as Ranieri departs

It was unthinkable at the beginning of the current campaign that Leicester City would part company with Claudio Ranieri, the man who led the club to their maiden top flight title just a matter of months ago.

The dismal defence of their Premier League crown has proved too much for the club's Thai owners though, and the Foxes are on the hunt for a new manager to preserve their status in the division.

Roberto Mancini is the early favourite to return to a club where he had a brief spell as a player and a league where he led Manchester City to the title. The Italian is 5/4 (2.25) to take over at the King Power Stadium with Paddy Power.

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Frank De Boer left Inter Milan after failing to produce satisfactory results at the San Siro. The ex-Ajax boss, who has been regularly been linked with Premier League jobs is 5/1 (6.0) at the time of writing.

His high-profile status would follow in the same mould as Ranieri's appointment but a return to a relegation battle is hardly the most tempting offer he's likely to receive in the next few months.

Alan Pardew is an 8/1 (7.0) shot to take over after parting company with Crystal Palace earlier this season but his poor spell with the Eagles doesn't spell much confidence in taking over a side who have picked up just one league point in 2017.

Gary Rowett, another former player, is priced at 8/1 (9.0) and could be an interesting value selection. While the former Birmingham boss lacks the worldwide appeal of Mancini, he is an up-and-coming manager with a fine reputation for his work at both Burton and in his previous role at St Andrews where he was harshly treated by the club's owners.

The same firm offer those 8/1 (9.0) odds that Nigel Pearson, the man sacked before Ranieri's arrival, makes a sensational third return to the club, although the sour note upon which he left suggests that price is unlikely to prove a fruitful investment.

Neil Lennon has plenty of managerial experience both in England and most notably with Celtic and he is listed as a 12/1 (13.0) chance to return to the side where he played a pivotal role in several Premier League campaigns. Another member of that side, Gerry Taggartt is a few ticks bigger at 16/1 (17.0) with Paddy Power.

There's then a significant jump in the betting to Avram Grant at 20/1 (21.0), Martin O'Neill (20/1) and Garry Monk at 25/1 (26.0).