Empoli will reportedly part company with coach Aurelio Andreazzoli and hire former Venezia boss Paolo Zanetti.
The Tuscans were promoted to Serie A as winners of the Serie B tournament in 2020-21 under the guidance of Alessio Dionisi.
He left last summer for a more prestigious role at Sassuolo, so was replaced by Andreazzoli.
Having secured a comfortable mid-table status this season, Andreazzoli is looking for a new challenge elsewhere.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Sportitalia and Tuttomercatoweb, negotiations are at an advanced stage between Empoli and 39-year-old Zanetti.
Before completing the move, Zanetti first had to terminate his contract with Venezia by mutual consent.
The Lagunari sacked him on April 27 after five wins, seven draws and 21 Serie A defeats in the current campaign.
He had been at the Stadio Penzo since the summer of 2020, taking them to promotion via the play-offs.
Before that, his coaching roles were at Sudtirol and Ascoli.
This represents a return to Empoli for Zanetti, who played for the Tuscan club from 2003 to 2006.
#Zanetti è ora libero di trattare il suo futuro sulla panchina dell’#Empolihttps://t.co/4a1QV8kh2v
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) June 1, 2022