Bristol City are close to appointing Lincoln boss Michael Skubala as their new manager.
The Robins have moved quickly for the 43-year-old after failing to convince Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick to join.
Nothing has been signed yet but it is now expected Skubala will move to the Championship side.
It will cost Bristol City over £1m in compensation with Skubala understood to have signed a new contract at Sincil Bank after initially missing out on the job to Elphick.
Skubala won the League Managers’ Association League One manager of the season after taking the club to the second tier for the first time in 65 years by winning the title.
He is close with Bristol City sporting director James Ellis, only formally appointed at the Robins this month, with the pair having worked together in the Great Britain Universities setup.
The former Leeds Under-21 boss was one of the leading contenders before the Robins initially chose Elphick, 38.
The former Brighton and Aston Villa defender had positive talks and was impressed with the club and its personnel but decided against making the move on Wednesday.
With Marco Rose replacing Andoni Iraola at the club, sources have told BBC Sport Elphick wants to assess his options further.
Bristol City, who finished 12th in the Championship, are looking for a permanent manager after appointing former England boss Roy Hodgson as an interim replacement following Gerhard Struber’s sacking in March.
