Thomas Tuchel has reportedly been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, with Mauricio Pochettino set to take over.
Pochettino, who spent two years at PSG as a defender, has been out of work since leaving Tottenham a year ago.
Betting has been suspended on his appointment, with an announcement expected later on Christmas Eve.
The Argentine's first big task will be a Champions League last-16 tie against old foes Barcelona, a club he knows well from his time as both player and manager of city rivals Espanyol.
Pochettino Manchester United links over for now
Pochettino, 48, has long been the heavy favourite to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.
But United's recent uptick in form has seen noise over the latter's future dissipate.
Ultimately he has chosen to take a different, and realistically better, opportunity rather than wait around for the next, inevitable Old Trafford crisis.
Tuchel's departure comes just months after he led the club to the Champions League final for the first time in their history, where they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich, ending his two-and-a-half-year spell in the French capital.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss won the Ligue 1 title in both his full seasons in charge, and also delivered the French Cup and last ever edition of the French League Cup in 2020.
PSG may only be third in the table at the moment, but they sit just a point behind leaders Lyon and also qualified from a difficult Champions League group at the expense of Manchester United.