Swansea City approached former manager Michael Laudrup over a return before appointing Carlos Carvalhal, according to the Danish great's agent.
Carvalhal is reportedly set to leave with the club's relegation all but guaranteed, although the Portuguese did take training as normal on Thursday.
Swansea need to beat Stoke City in their final match of the season and overcome a 10-goal deficit to Southampton, who must lose to Manchester City to give the Welsh outfit any hope of survival.
Laudrup guided the Swans to their first piece of major silverware in English football when he oversaw their successful League Cup campaign in 2012-13, but he left in February 2014 following a poor run of form and with the club having severed all ties with agent Bayram Tutumlu, who was reported to be attempting to dictate their transfer policy.
Swansea have worked through five permanent managers since Laudrup's departure, with Carvalhal set to be the latest to be shown the door at the Liberty Stadium.
But Tutumlu claims the 52-year-old may not have been given the role had Laudrup not been under contract at Qatari club Al Rayyan when Paul Clement was sacked.
"[Chairman] Huw Jenkins asked me about Michael, but Michael could not leave his club," he told The Daily Mail. "Swansea has a very good relationship with Michael and Michael did many great things there.
"He could not come back. It was before they took Carvalhal."
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