Leicester chairman Mandaric wants MK Dons to let him speak to Ince

Mandaric admits Ince is a candidate but says there is no clear favourite at  the moment with John Gregory and Simon Grayson also being linked to the post.

But Ince is also believed to be a target for Blackburn  Rovers after Mark  Hughes left for Manchester City.

Paul Ince celebrates last season's promotion with MK Dons

"I have three or four names in mind and Paul Ince is definitely one of them  but I would not put anyone at the top of the list,"  said Mandaric.

 "I will be interviewing several in the hope that it can be sorted by the end of the week and I hope that Paul Ince will be one of  them.

 "I do not see any reason for MK Dons not to grant permission for me to at least talk to him."        

Milan Mandaric was expecting to be granted permission by MK Dons later today  to speak to Paul Ince. 

The Leicester City chairman has set himself a deadline of this weekend to get  his new manager appointed.

Ince is in the frame although Mandaric insists there is no recognised  front-runner at  this stage.

Former City coach John Gregory and player Simon Grayson have been strongly  linked to the post.

Gregory has recently being described in  speculation as the fall-back candidate if Ince cannot be secured.

But  Mandaric denies the issue has reached that point.

He said: "I have three or four names in mind and Paul Ince is definitely one  of them but I would not  put anyone's name at the top of the list.

"I will be interviewing several  in the hope that it can be sorted by the end  of the week and I hope that Paul Ince will be one of them.

"I do not see any reason for MK Dons not to  grant permission for me to at  least talk to him and I expect to hear that I will  be able to do so very soon.

"But he will be just one of those I am interested in and there is no favourite yet."

Blackpool have made strong statements about their determination to hang on to  Grayson while MK Dons know  Ince has been linked with the vacant Blackburn  Rovers job.

But more high-profile contenders like Steve McClaren and Sam Allardyce now seem to be in the running there.

Mandaric wants the whole issue settled this week, well before the City players  report back for pre-season training in the first week of next month.

That would mean the new manager and, presumably, his new staff could get settled into their positions.

Ince was linked to the City job just over a year ago when Mandaric searched for a successor to Rob Kelly because  the former West Ham and Manchester United  man had done an impressive job at Macclesfield Town.

Ironically, when Martin Allen was secured from MK  Dons, Ince was his replacement and he gained promotion and won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.