Juventus coach Didier Deschamps has resigned, Italy's SKY television reported on Saturday.

There was no official announcement from the club which could not be reached for comment.

Frenchman Deschamps took Juventus back to Serie A this season after they were demoted last year because of their role in Italy's match-fixing scandal.

Deschamps, who said this week that he wanted to manage the club in the top division, has been talking to Juventus officials of late regarding a new deal. However, he has also been linked to the Lyon job, following the resignation of Gerard Houllier on Friday.

Former Juventus and Italy coach Marcello Lippi has been among those mentioned as possible successors to Deschamps.

SKY said Deschamps would remain on the bench for Saturday's home game with Mantova where Juventus need just a point to wrap up the Serie B championship.

They achieved promotion last weekend after a 5-1 win at Arezzo despite still carrying a nine-point deduction because of the match-fixing verdict.

Deschamps, who won the Champions League with Juventus as a player in 1996, almost begged club officials to make him coach last July when Fabio Capello quit for Real Madrid following their enforced relegation.

Although several top name players including Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro also left, Deschamps did well to persuade the likes of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and France striker David Trezeguet that it was worth playing in the second division for one season.

Along with guiding Juve to promotion, Deschamps' other notable managerial achievement was to lead Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004.

While speculation surrounding a possible move to Lyon is likely to grow following Deschamps resignation, former Portsmouth coach Alain Perrin, who is currently managing Sochaux, told the sports daily L'Equip on Saturday that he has been contacted by the club's chairman.

"Jean-Michel Aulas called me on Friday," Perrin, who led Sochaux this season to their first French Cup victory since 1937, was quoted as saying by the sports daily L'Equipe on Saturday.

"We did not go to the bottom of the matter. Aulas explained to me how things were working in his club. He also asked me my point of view on this. It would be an exciting challenge."

Aulas said on Friday he would be able to find a replacement for Houllier within a week.

Houllier, who helped Lyon to two consecutive Ligue 1 titles but failed to steer the club to the Champions League last four, resigned after a two-year spell in Ligue 1.