West Brom have made Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael their top target to replace Sam Allardyce as manager.
An attempt to lure David Wagner failed when the former Huddersfield boss opted to join Swiss side Young Boys.
Chief executive Xu Ke believes Ismael is the right man to steer West Brom swiftly back into the Premier League.
The 45-year-old Frenchman exceeded all pre-season expectations by guiding Barnsley into last season's Championship play-offs, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Swansea in the semi-finals.
It is understood Ismael, whose managerial career includes stints at Wolfsburg and Austrian side LASK, had a seven-figure compensation clause inserted into his contract when he replaced Gerhard Struber as Barnsley boss in October 2020.