According to Fabrizio Romano, Leicester City are closing in on the appointment of Dean Smith as interim manager until the end of the season.
The 52-year-old guided Aston Villa to the Premier League in 2019 before securing safety in their return to the top-flight.
Talks are believed to be at the final stages and Craig Shakespeare is expected to be part of the staff.
Shakespeare was the assistant manager to both Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri during their spells with the Foxes and he later became the permanent manager in June 2017 before departing four months later.
Rafael Benítez was reportedly in the run-in for the role but it appears as though the board have settled on appointing Smith.
Leicester currently sit 19th in the Premier league, two points adrift from safety with eight games remaining of the season.
Should Smith be appointed this week, his first game in charge will be against Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium before their home fixture versus relegation rivals Wolves the following week.
Mark Marston | Get Football
