Hellas Verona sacked Gabriele Cioffi on Tuesday, but talks with Diego Lopez have hit problems, so now Salvatore Bocchetti is the favourite to replace him.
The Stadio Bentegodi side wielded the axe after a poor start to the campaign, which began with a shock 4-1 Coppa Italia defeat to Bari, then amassed only one win and two draws in nine Serie A rounds.
A fourth consecutive loss to Salernitana on Sunday proved the final straw and Cioffi, who had been hired this summer after his experience at Udinese, was dismissed.
It was widely expected that former Cagliari and Brescia boss Lopez would be brought in as his replacement, but problems emerged in the negotiations.
There are reports the Uruguayan’s demands for his coaching staff are proving difficult to satisfy and Verona are ready to look elsewhere.
Sky Sport Italia claim the new favourite to take over at Hellas is now Bocchetti, who is currently in charge of the Primavera youth team and who is overseeing the training session today.
The 35-year-old was a defender, playing for the likes of Genoa, Rubin Kazan, Spartak Moscow, Milan, Pescara and Verona, until his retirement in July 2021.
In order to lead the senior squad, Bocchetti would need special permission, as he lacks the necessary coaching badges.