West Bromwich Albion have reportedly made an approach to bring Michael Appleton to the Hawthorns as their next manager.
The Lincoln City boss is fresh from an excellent season with the Imps in which he guided the club into the League One play-offs where they lost in the final to Blackpool.
Appleton has strong links to the Baggies after finishing his playing career with the club before going on to become part of the coaching set up at the West Midlands outfit.
According to Football Insider, West Brom have made the 45-year-old their front-runner to take over the reins as the club look to bounce back from relegation from the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Baggies finished second bottom in the top flight last season, amassing just 26 points from 38 matches and despite appointing Sam Allardyce in December, they were unable to avoid the drop.
Appleton is a classy manager with an eye for talent. His most successful spell in the dugout came at Oxford United who he guided to promotion in 2016 while also taking the U’s to two EFL Trophy finals.
He has often used his links to West Brom to good effect, most famously bringing Kemar Roofe to the Kassam Stadium before selling him on to Leeds United.
Losing Appleton would be a big blow to the Imps who have continued their excellent progress since his arrival at Sincil Bank. The club have gone from the National League to the cusp of the Championship in just four years and are a shining example of good ownership.