Liverpool have taken steps to sound out Jurgen Klopp about taking up the managerial reins at Anfield, according to Press Association Sport.
Brendan Rodgers was sacked as Reds boss less than two hours after Sunday's 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby, and owners Fenway Sports Group are moving quickly to secure his replacement.
Klopp, out of work having taken a sabbatical after leaving Borussia Dortmund last season, was immediately installed as the favourite having been touted by fans as Rodgers' successor even before his dismissal.
Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre is understood to be liaising closely with the club's United States-based ownership group - principal owner John W Henry, Reds chairman Tom Werner and FSG president Mike Gordon - over the recruitment process which they hope to have completed before the players return from international break next week.
Henry had personal involvement in the last appointment, being pictured meeting Roberto Martinez for coffee in Miami before the Spaniard withdrew himself from the process, but, having opted for a young manager with potential back in 2012, FSG are now inclined to appoint someone who has a proven record.
Klopp won two Bundesliga titles and reached a Champions League final and is seen by many as the ideal fit at Anfield, with plenty of parallels being drawn with his spell with Dortmund, restoring the fortunes of a club which had lost its way.
However, despite the clamour for Klopp and his position as the outright favourite, Liverpool will keep their options open, although the available three-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti is widely viewed as less of a good match than his German rival.
Former Germany midfielder Stefan Effenberg believes his compatriot and good friend is suited to taking the Liverpool job.
"He gave me this answer a couple of weeks ago. He said: 'I'm ready for a team that's not on the highest level, to create something, to build something up'. This could be Liverpool, right?" he told BBC World Service Sport.
And speaking at the Aspire Academy Global Summit on Football Performance and Science in Berlin, he added: "Liverpool is one of the greatest atmospheres. It's pretty much the same as Dortmund.
"The fans stay with everything behind the club and this is what Jurgen Klopp likes and what he needs.
"So maybe, very soon, we'll hear something from Jurgen Klopp, to make a decision, maybe, for Liverpool."
While FSG are keen to have their new manager in place as soon as possible, it is understood there is nothing imminent in the next 48 hours.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here