Burnley have settled on Sam Allardyce as their preferred candidate to take charge at Turf Moor, according to reports.
The Clarets sacked Sean Dyche on Friday, bringing the long-serving manager's near-decade-long tenure to an end.
The news came as a major surprise despite Burnley's struggles this season.
A 1-0 defeat by Norwich last weekend left the club four points adrift of safety, but there is still time to turn the situation around.
Dyche has consistently kept Burnley in the top flight in recent years, while he has also led the Clarets to two promotions from the Championship.
The board decided to act on Friday, though, and the search for a replacement is already under way.
Mike Jackson, the Under-23 coach, will be the man calling the shots for Sunday's match against West Ham.
However, Burnley hope to have a new manager in place before Thursday's crunch clash with Southampton.
According to The Sun, Allardyce is the frontrunner in the race to replace Dyche, who signed a new four-year contract with the club in September.
The former England manager has successfully steered Blackburn, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton away from relegation trouble in the past.
However, he was unable to keep West Brom in the Premier League last term after replacing Slaven Bilic in December 2020.
Burnley believe Allardyce could keep them up but agreeing terms with the veteran manager will not be easy.
Allardyce will insist on a large bonus if he keeps the Clarets in the Premier League, and there is no guarantee he would be willing to stay on next term.
The report mentions Chris Wilder as a potential alternative, while former West Brom boss Bilic has also been mentioned as a contender.
With only seven games left to play after this weekend's trip to the London Stadium, Burnley will have to make a decision quickly if they are to save their top-flight status.
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