Southampton are on the brink of naming former Nice manager Claude Puel as their next manager, reports The Daily Mail.
Puel, 54, departed as Nice manager at the end of last season after leading them to a fourth place finish; their best finish in three years.
The Frenchman, who was mentored by Arsene Wenger during his spell as Monaco manager (1987-94), has also managed Lyon, with whom he took to the Champions League semi-finals in 2010.
Southampton were left managerless when Ronald Koeman departed to become Everton manager on June 14. The Saints were reluctant to let the Dutchman leave before he saw out the final year of his current deal.
In charge of Lyon and Nice, Puel ends his two most recent jobs in Ligue 1 with a win ratio of 44.6% from his 325 games in charge (145 wins).
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