Aberdeen are closing in on a managerial appointment after whittling down their initial shortlist to their preferred candidates.
The Dons have identified who they want for the Pittodrie dugout and have stepped up talks with the aim of having their new man in place this weekend.
Interviews with European and British candidates have been concluded by the Dons board with chairman Dave Cormack now aiming to thrash out a deal to bring his preferred option to Pittodrie.
Cormack remains committed to having a new manager in place during the international break so he can work with the players next week before the vital Premiership encounter against Ross County at Pittodrie.
Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin was among the contenders for the initial series of interviews but has pulled out of the running to remain with his club in Sweden.
With the new Swedish season due to start next weekend Thelin, who has overseen a major recruitment drive at the Allsvenkan runners-up, has opted to remain at his club.
The 46-year-old will be in the Elfsborg dugout for their league opener against IFK Varnarmo on April 1.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who has also been linked with the post, stopped shy of ruling himself out of the running last week but insisted his focus was on the upcoming international fixtures.
Northern Ireland are in Bucharest where they will face Romania on Friday before making the trip to Hampden on Tuesday to face Scotland.
Dons want new manager in to lead push up the table
Peter Leven is in interim charge for the second time after previous caretaker boss Neil Warnock cut short his stint at the club after 33 days.
Warnock had agreed to take charge for the rest of the season when former boss Barry Robson was sacked on January 31 but departed following the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup quarter-final two weeks ago.
Warnock’s struggles in the league – he took two points from a possible 18 – led to Leven being restored to the fold where he guided the side to their first Premiership win since January 2 with a 1-0 victory at Motherwell last weekend.
Despite leading the Dons to a rare victory in their last outing the Dons are focused on having their new manager in place as quickly as possible to help guide the team away from the threat of a relegation play-off.
Aberdeen also want their new manager to have time to carry out an assessment of the squad ahead of the summer transfer window.
Technical director also on Dons’ wanted list
Once the new boss is in place the Dons’ next priority will be appointing a technical director to join the revamped football operation at the club.
Following Robson’s dismissal the Dons announced they had enlisted the services of a football consultancy business to carry out an independent analysis of their operations.
BPTC, headed by former Hamburg sporting director Bernhard Peters, recommended structural changes within the set-up at Cormack Park and Pittodrie.
As a result Aberdeen are looking to expand their operation behind the scenes with the appointment of a technical director of their own to support director of football Steven Gunn.
But that process will not get under way until after the new manager is in place.
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