Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean wants Eric Black to join the club as his assistant, according to The People.
Kean is currently without a right-hand man following Paul Clement's decision to join new Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti in the French capital.
Black is out of work, having departed the number two role at Sunderland when Steve Bruce was sacked in December.
The 48-year-old, whose unemployment means that he would not command a compensation fee, is believed to be keen on a return to coaching at the earliest opportunity.