Caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare is on the cusp of being handed the Leicester City managerial reins permanently after being asked to take over until the end of the season.
Sky Sports has claimed that Leicester's Thai owners met with Shakespeare in Dubai and asked him to take charge of first-team affairs until the 2016/17 campaign draws to a close.
Formal talks are expected to take place on Wednesday and Thursday as negotiations over who will replace Claudio Ranieri in the dugout continue, and Shakespeare is believed to want assurances that he will be handed improved terms by the club's owners if he accepts the role for Leicester's final 10 Premier League games of the season.
Sources: #lcfc owners meet Craig Shakespeare in Dubai & ask him to take job til season end. Formal talks tmrw/Thurs. CS wants improved terms
Shakespeare has led the Foxes to back-to-back league wins after Ranieri's sacking on February 23 - results that have eased their relegation worries - and had hinted that he wanted the managerial post on a full-time basis after the 3-1 victory over Hull City last Saturday.
If appointed, Shakespeare's first official match as Leicester manager will see him attempt to lead the club into the last eight of the Champions League by overturning the 2-1 first leg deficit against Porto in their last-16 tie.
Ranieri was relieved of his duties at the King Power stadium after a wretched run of results that saw Leicester lose six league matches in a row and fail to score in five - form that left them dangerously close to the drop zone.
The Italian's dismissal was greeted with widespread criticism after he had led the club to an unprecedented first ever English top flight title in seemingly impossible circumstances, but his removal from his post appears to have done the trick where Leicester are concerned, with two wins on the spin evidence enough of that.
Shakespeare was right hand man to Ranieri during his 18-month tenure in the Midlands, and the 53-year-old now hopes to step up from his assitant manager's position to become a manager in his own right.
Ranieri's compatriot Roberto Mancini had been sounded out about the vacant role, but he declined Leicester's offer to hold formal talks in solidarity with his 65-year-old friend.
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