Paulo Fonseca is emerging as a serious candidate to take over at Newcastle United, sources have told ESPN.
The club confirmed on Friday that Steve Bruce will remain in charge for Sunday's Premier League home game against Tottenham, his 1,000th match in management.
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Newcastle part-owners Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi are deliberating over their next move having completed a Saudi-backed £305 million takeover last week.
Sources have indicated that a shortlist has been drawn up and the club are expected to replace Bruce within the next week -- he will be due around £8m in compensation -- although they are yet to identify a first-choice candidate.
It is understood that one of the names under consideration is Fonseca, who was on the brink of joining Spurs earlier in the year before Spurs had a last-minute change of heart.
The 48-year-old is out of work after leaving Roma when his contract expired at the end of last season. He is viewed as an intriguing option not least because of his reputation for attacking football.
Newcastle are also thought to be considering a number of other alternatives including former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and Lucien Favre, who is also available after being sacked from Borussia Dortmund last December.
Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is thought to have distanced himself from the post while Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has insisted he is only focused on continuing with the Scottish champions. Belgium manager Roberto Martinez is another name to have been discussed.
Speaking ahead of his 1,000 managerial match, Bruce told a news conference: "I played 950 times, won everything there is to win domestically, so it's not about me.
"It's about the club going forward and more importantly getting a result on Sunday. We need a win to get us moving up the table.
"I know they'll [the fans] be right behind the players in an atmosphere which I doubt we'll have witnessed at St James' Park in a long, long time.
"I'll have a crack and try my utmost [to stay in the job], who wouldn't want this opportunity? Any manager would love to sit in my chair, so I will make a fist of it."
Information from Reuters was included in this report.