JULEN LOPETEGUI will fly in for crunch talks about the Wolves job over the next 48 hours.
Molineux chiefs have made the Spaniard — axed by Sevilla on Wednesday — their top target to replace Bruno Lage.
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The former Spain and Real Madrid boss has agreed to meet Wolves chairman Jeff Shi over the weekend.
Under-18s manager Steve Davis and under-21s chief James Collins will lead the team at Chelsea on Saturday.
But Lopetegui, 56, could be in the dugout by the time Nottingham Forest visit on October 15.
The Spaniard almost joined Wolves in 2016.
Lopetegui had agreed to take over from Kenny Jackett before the deal collapsed at the 11th hour after he was offered the chance to manage the Spanish national team.
Now, six years on, Wolves are determined to finally get their man and believe he is the high-profile, top class boss they need to ease their relegation worries and help them climb the table.
Lopetegui was axed by Sevilla not long after he had completed his post-match interviews following Sevilla’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
By then Lopetegui had already said an emotional farewell to his players, who he led to Europa League success in 2020 as well as three top four finishes in La Liga in three years during his 170 games in charge.
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Sevilla confirmed they were replacing Lopetegui with Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli yesterday.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is excited by the prospect of Lopetegui managing in England.
Carragher said after Sevilla’s loss to Dortmund: “The manager has left on the back of tonight.
“He had been really successful with Sevilla, there is talk of him maybe him coming to the Premier League.
“He has managed Real Madrid. He has managed the Spanish national team, so there’s no doubt he’s a great coach, but you can see how emotional he is getting.
“He has left tonight after the game, but he has done a great job.”
