Crystal Palace are exploring a move for Lens' highly-rated head coach Pierre Sage with first choice Andoni Iraola now expected to join Liverpool.
Lens won the French Cup and pushed Paris St Germain all the way in the French league. Their style of play prompted praise from an impressed PSG boss Luis Enrique who said Sage deserved to win the country's coach of the year title.
The 47-year-old was already on Palace's radar along with the likes of Frank Lampard and Dino Toppmöller but their main target was Iraola because of his Premier League experience.
Sage's work has also brought him to the attention of Liverpool and Tottenham in recent months.
Sage first came to clubs' attention with the work he did at Lyon where he was initially academy coach before rising through the ranks to take charge of the first team.
He joined Lens last summer and earned qualification for the Champions League. He has two years left on contract but is interested to see what Palace have to offer.
Talks are understood to have taken place on Saturday as Palace try to make a swift appointment.
Lampard was installed as favourite with bookmakers to succeed Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park following Liverpool's move for Iraola but Coventry City are reluctant to lose the man who has returned them to the top flight.
Chairman Steve Parish said last week: 'We have gone up a level and we have got to try and stay there. We will have a week to celebrate and then work hard in the summer.'
Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche are other names the club have discussed.
