Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier is in line for the vacant job at Aston Villa.
The Daily Mail says Houllier is set for a dramatic return to English football with Aston Villa.
The Frenchman, who has been out of work for three years, has held talks with Villa owner Randy Lerner about succeeding Martin O'Neill.
Houllier has jumped to the top of Villa's wish list after the club's decision makers began their round of interviews this week.
Houllier could be employed either as a manager in his own right or as a director of football with the brief to oversee a major overhaul of the club's scouting and recruitment policy.
