Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reportedly turned down an offer to become the new England manager earlier this month.
The Football Association approached the Frenchman shortly after Roy Hodgson's resignation, according to The Telegraph, but was rejected as Wenger was not prepared to break the final year of his contract with the Gunners.
The three-man panel tasked with finding a new manager - technical director Dan Ashworth, chief executive Martin Glenn and vice-chairman David Gill - then turned to other candidates, including Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce, to fill the role.
Allardyce is the trio's preferred candidate and is expected to be offered a two-year contract, running until the end of the 2018 World Cup, following a board meeting later today.
The FA will then begin work on a compensation deal with Allardyce's current club Sunderland while also looking to appoint his backroom staff.
Neil Wilkes
