Lyon expect to appoint former Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca to replace Pierre Sage.
51-year-old Fonseca, appointed by Milan in summer, was sacked by the Italian club on December 29 with the team eighth in Serie A.
Sage, 45, was sacked by Lyon after a run of five matches without a win in all competitions, culminating in a 1-1 league draw against Nantes on January 26.
Lyon are currently sixth in Ligue 1, 17 points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain but just four points off Monaco, who occupy the third and final Champions League qualification spot.
In November, Lyon were handed a provisional relegation to Ligue 2, the second division of French football, and began a transfer ban following an audit of their finances.
The Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion (DNCG, the body responsible for overseeing the finances of French football clubs) informed Lyon, who won the French title for seven successive seasons from 2001-02 to 2007-08, they must satisfactorily improve their financial situation before the end of the season or be forcibly demoted from Ligue 1. The club have been forbidden from registering any new signings.
John Textor — whose Eagle Football Group owns a 77 per cent stake in Lyon alongside controlling stakes in Premier League club Crystal Palace, Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo and RWD Molenbeek of Belgium — has insisted there is “no chance” his side will be relegated from the division.
Fonseca’s managerial career began in 2007 and has included spells at Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma and Lille. He was won nine trophies as a manager.
(Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
