Newcastle will hold crunch talks with Paulo Fonseca in the next 24 hours with a view to appointing him as Steve Bruce's replacement.
Initial discussions with the Portuguese have already taken place, but those discussions are expected to accelerate in the coming hours.
A deal has not been reached, with the Magpies still keeping their options open.
But Fonseca is viewed as an attractive proposition given his pedigree and the fact he is available and ready to work.
The 48-year-old is open to taking the job and is understood to have already started to put together strategies for the team's forthcoming fixtures.