Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly edging towards the appointment of Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach.
Late on Sunday afternoon, owners Fosun International made the decision to sack Bruno Lage with the club sitting in the Premier League relegation zone.
Wolves have recorded just six points and scored three goals in eight matches ahead of a trip to face Chelsea at the weekend.
As it stands, Steve Davis and James Collins, who oversee matters with the Under-18s and Under-21s respectively, are in line to take charge of the team for the clash at Stamford Bridge.
However, it appears increasingly likely that Wolves will have their replacement for Lage in place over the coming days.
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According to Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, Lopetegui has a "pre-agreement" with Wolves ahead of departing Sevilla.
After the defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening, the powers-that-be at the La Liga outfit have been deliberating over whether to part ways with the 56-year-old.
Several reports in Spain have suggested that Lopetegui will remain in charge for Sevilla's Champions League fixture with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening before being replaced by Jorge Sampaoli the following day.
The speed at which the developments occur may be dependent on Sevilla's compensation package for Lopetegui and whether that has any impact on a switch to Molineux.
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Nevertheless, Wolves appear to have set their sights firmly on a manager who they had wanted to appoint in 2016 before Spain came calling for his services.
Over that six-year period, Lopetegui went 20 games unbeaten with La Roja before his exit ahead of the 2018 World Cup, a consequence of agreeing to move to Real Madrid.
Lopetegui lasted just 14 games at the Santiago Bernabeu, recording six wins and six defeats, but he will depart Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as an overriding success after delivering three successive top-four finishes in La Liga and the 2019-20 Europa League trophy.
As it stands, Sevilla sit in 17th position in Spain's top flight with just five points from seven games, Los Nervionenses not helped by struggling to replace established central-defensive duo Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos during the summer transfer window.
Darren Plant
