Former Italy manager Marcello Lippi is being lined up to take a role with the China national team, according to reports in the country this week.
Lippi, who led Italy to the World Cup title in Germany in 2006, has long been the preferred choice to take over as coach and had previously turned down the post during his time as head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande.
The 68-year-old is due to arrive in Beijing on Saturday to begin negotiations and will meet with officials about a role that is expected to encompass a broader remit than merely coaching the national team.
The Italian is reported to have been asked by government officials to oversee a complete overhaul of Chinese football at every level as the country seeks to overcome more than a decade of disappointment for the national team.
Gao Hongbo stood down as head coach earlier this month following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan that represented a fourth straight game in the final phase of World Cup qualifying for Russia 2018 without a win for China.
The country has not qualified for the World Cup since making their debut appearance in 2002 and have struggled since losing the final of the 2004 Asian Cup on home soil to Japan.
Since then the game has been dogged by match-fixing scandals and an image problem before a recent resurgence in interest was sparked by the support of Chinese president Xi Jinpeng.
Chinese businesses, both private and state run, have pumped significant amounts of money into the domestic game as well as purchasing stakes in foreign clubs in an attempt to accelerate the growth of the sport at home.
Lippi's previous experience in China saw him take over as head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande in mid-2012 and he went on to steer the club to the Asian Champions League title in 2013, the first time a Chinese club had been crowned continental champions since 1990.
He left the club at the end of the 2014 Chinese Super League season having won three domestic league titles.