Everton have offered their vacant managerial position to former England midfielder Frank Lampard.
Lampard, 43, has been out of work for a year after being sacked as Chelsea manager last January, leaving the Blues after 18 months in charge.
Portuguese boss Vitor Pereira was also in contention for the job, but former Toffee Wayne Rooney ruled himself out.
Rafael Benitez was sacked after winning just one of his last 13 games, leaving Everton 16th in the Premier League.
The former Liverpool manager lasted less than seven months and a side lacking in confidence lies just six points above the relegation zone.
Ex-Derby boss Lampard guided Chelsea to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge but a run of five defeats in eight games saw him sacked by owner Roman Abramovich.
Lampard's points-per-game average of 1.67 is the lowest of any permanent Chelsea manager in the Premier League.
During the Abramovich era, only Andre Villas-Boas (47.5%) has a worse win rate than Lampard's 52.4%, in all competitions among permanent Chelsea bosses.
Lampard could be appointed as Everton manager by the time they next play on 5 February against Brentford in the FA Cup.
