Everton have targeted Carlo Ancelotti as their preferred managerial candidate.
Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli on Tuesday despite leading the Serie A outfit into the Champions League’s knock-out stage as runner-up to Liverpool in Group E.
Farhad Moshiri is expected to approach the three-time Champions League winner about the possibility of becoming the Blues’ permanent successor to Marco Silva.
It remains unclear if Ancelotti would entertain a return to England, where he was sacked by Chelsea at Goodison Park on the final day of the 2010/11 season.
He left Napoli against a backdrop of conflict between the club’s staff and its chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, who imposed a series of financial sanctions.
Everton’s hopes of naming Silva’s replacement before Sunday’s trip to Manchester United suffered a setback after Vitor Pereira ruled himself out of the running.
The one-time Porto boss is currently coaching with Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese Super League and was previously interested in the role back in summer 2013.
However Pereira insisted on Tuesday that he is currently ‘not in a position to make any other commitments’ amid speculation over his long-term future.
David Moyes remains under consideration by the Goodison hierarchy and is still on good terms with chairman Bill Kenwright following his previous 11-year spell.
Moyes’ return to his former stomping ground would likely split opinion among the Everton fan base with many still unimpressed by the manner of his 2013 exit.