Everton are set to finalise their new manager choice on Friday.
Farhad Moshiri and members of the Goodison Park hierarchy will meet in London and interview the three-man shortlist for Rafael Benitez’s successor.
Ex-Chelsea and Derby County boss Frank Lampard is the latest forerunner after several rounds of talks with the Blues during the previous week.
Journeyman coach Vitor Pereira remains in contention despite taking the bizarre step of discussing his Everton prospects in a television interview.
Also in the running is Duncan Ferguson, who was installed as caretaker manager in the days following Benitez’s sacking after barely six months.
Everton did not make a formal approach to Derby for Ferguson’s former teammate Wayne Rooney to be involved in their recruitment process.
The final round of interviews marks the end of a chaotic process during which Moshiri’s views on the ideal managerial candidate have fluctuated continually.
An approach for Roberto Martinez, whom Moshiri sacked in 2016, was firmly rebuffed by the Royal Belgian Football Association after Benitez’s departure.
Pereira travelled to the capital for talks with the Everton hierarchy earlier this week after being a perennial managerial candidate between 2013 and 2019.
But fans unconvinced by the 53-year-old’s credentials daubed graffiti outside Goodison after he emerged as Moshiri’s preferred choice on Tuesday night.
That backlash, coupled with Pereira’s Sky Sports News appearance, saw Lampard installed as the new favourite ahead of Friday’s planned decision.