Southampton have reportedly held talks with Lens boss Will Still regarding the vacant manager's role at St Mary's Stadium.
The Saints were linked to the 32-year-old earlier in the month, as well as Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has impressed in the Championship over the last two campaigns.
Still has enjoyed an unorthodox rise to the summit of football management, starting in the lower divisions of Belgium at Lierse and Beerschot.
The young coach is currently in the main role at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens reached the Conference League qualification rounds last year.
The French outfit are sitting in eighth spot in the Ligue 1 standings with three matches remaining of the term, nine points behind sixth-placed Nice.
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Southampton hold talks with Still?
According to talkSPORT, Southampton have taken the next step in appointing a permanent manager ahead of the 2025-26 Championship campaign.
The report claims that the Saints have held discussions with Lens boss Still over the possibility of taking the reins on the South Coast next term.
It is currently unclear whether the talks went positively, as Southampton plot an immediate return to the Premier League from the second tier.
The Saints remain keen on Sheffield Wednesday's Rohl, who has supposedly made a decision regarding his future at Hillsborough past this season.
However, the German is set to retain his thoughts on the situation until the Owls have concluded their Championship campaign on Saturday afternoon.
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Southampton's sobering season
In the midst of a 10-game winless run in the top flight, Southampton are enduring a negative end to what has been a painful year overall.
Should the Saints lose their remaining four matches, they be officially crowned as the joint-worst Premier League side, joining Derby County's 2007-08 crop on 11 points.
Simon Rusk's men have a winnable match coming up, though, with fellow strugglers Leicester City hosting at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Carter White
