Crystal Palace have refused to be drawn on reports that talks with Nuno Espirito Santo over the vacant managerial position have broken down.
The Eagles are on the lookout for a new boss after Roy Hodgson stepped down at the end of the 2020-21 season following four years at the helm.
Nuno, who left Wolves by mutual consent last month, is one of several candidates to have held talks with the club but has also been linked with the managerial role at Everton after Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid.
Various reports on Wednesday morning suggested discussions between Portuguese coach Nuno and Palace had broken down, but the club refused to comment when asked by the PA news agency.
On top of finding a new manager, the Selhurst Park outfit also have 12 first-team players out of contract with the future of some dependent on whoever is appointed as Hodgson’s successor.
While Mamadou Sakho and Connor Wickham will move on after a difficult time with injuries, decisions need to be made on players like Andros Townsend, who recently revealed he had been told an update on his contract situation would be made clear once a new man had been appointed.
Defender Joel Ward is still expected to extend his stay at Palace into a 10th season while there is a willingness from the club to keep Gary Cahill, but sporting director Dougie Freedman may have to make a call on Nathaniel Clyne, Scott Dann, Patrick Van Aanholt, James McCarthy and Townsend with no manager in place.
Freedman was central to Christian Benteke agreeing a new two-year deal last week – with his old terms due to expire on June 30 – before the forward joined the Belgium squad ahead of the European Championship.
Holland international Van Aanholt, who is also at Euro 2020, has plenty of options and may prefer to wait until later in the summer before he decides his future while McCarthy is widely expected to move on.
Back-up goalkeepers Wayne Hennessey and Stephen Henderson are also able to leave on a free at the end of June, while young right-back Sam Woods will exit SE25 after more than a decade at the club.
Coming up to three weeks since Hodgson stepped down, Palace remain managerless but they are not alone in the Premier League with Everton and Tottenham also searching for a new boss although Wolves did end their search for Nuno’s replacement with Bruno Lage’s arrival confirmed on Wednesday.
While the Eagles’ talks with various contenders have so far failed to bring a final decision, chairman Steve Parish is understood to be eager to find the right man and not rush this appointment.
