CHICAGO — Count Bobby Valentine among those who would like to manage the Cubs.

The ESPN analyst and former Mets and Rangers manager said he’s interested in taking over for the retiring Lou Piniella after this season.

Valentine, who led the Mets to the pennant in 2000, calls the Cubs job “one of the most coveted positions in all of sports” and adds “anybody who thinks of himself as a manager would love to be considered as one of the people who might take his place.”

Valentine, who spoke before yesterday’s game between the Cubs and Cardinals, said he won’t leave the network “unless something very special came up,” and the Cubs job “falls in the category of very special.”