Jurgen Klopp has been sounded out by Liverpool as they seek a manager to replace Brendan Rodgers, sources have told ESPN FC.
Klopp, who is out of work after leaving Borussia Dortmund in May to take a break from football, is the Reds' first choice for the job, sources said.
Rodgers was sacked on Sunday, with Liverpool lying 10th in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with neighbours Everton at Goodison Park.
Liverpool want to hold proper discussions with Klopp before the end of this week, with a view to having him appointed in time for their next match, away to Tottenham on Oct. 17.
Ian Ayre, the Reds' chief executive, is working closely with American owners Fenway Sports Group to get a top-class manager in place quickly.
Klopp, 47, took over a mid-table Dortmund side in 2008 and led them to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final during his seven years with the club.
Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has not been ruled out of the running, but sources have told ESPN FC that he is unlikely to end his planned year-long sabbatical to move to Anfield.
Ancelotti, sacked by Real Madrid at the end of last season, has taken time off to recover from a back operation he underwent during the summer.
Rodgers, who spent three years and four months as Liverpool's manager, has flown to Spain for a short holiday following his sacking.
He will consider his options when he returns, but he's reportedly keen to take on another role following his break, either in the Premier League or abroad.
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen said he believes a hungry Klopp would "be the best fit" to replace Rodgers at the Anfield helm.
"If indeed these are the two main men [Ancelotti and Klopp], I would think that Klopp is the better fit for Liverpool at this time," Owen told Sportlobster. "I think that a younger and potentially hungrier manager in Jurgen Klopp would be the best fit for Liverpool in their current predicament."
The 35-year-old former England international believes having Klopp in charge would bring some much-needed confidence back to Liverpool which was lost under Rodgers.
He added: "His appointment would certainly excite the Liverpool fans who had become so disillusioned with Rodgers and in this day and age their part in the whole process cannot be over-estimated.
"He would also bring a burning desire to succeed and to take the club from their true position of 'top six' to right back in the mix for winning the title and where finishing top four is a given every season.
"The other big advantage that Klopp has over Ancelotti is that whereas Ancelotti has generally managed at clubs who were already very successful with a squad full of top players, Klopp took over at Borussia Dortmund when they were in a similar position to that which Liverpool find themselves in now."
Former defender Mark Lawrenson also backed Klopp to take the reigns as he wrote in his BBC Sport column: "Whoever it is will have to buy into the mindset of the American owners -- they want success, but their model is to try to get that by signing younger players they can train up and, sometimes, sell on.
"Jurgen Klopp is the favourite to get the job and he would fit the bill. At Borussia Dortmund he built a team that were in your face, with good players that he was making better, but he also knew he would have to sell one or even two every year."
Former midfielder Danny Murphy, however, favours the experience of Ancelotti.
"Reading the CVs and what they have done and where they have done it and how many times they have done it, it is a no-brainer really," he told talkSPORT. "You can't guarantee success with either guy because you are competing with Manchester City, United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
"Ancelotti has done it as a player, he has done it as a coach, and he has done it in different countries. He has done it here already with Chelsea. He has won the league here, he has won the [FA] Cup here, so he knows this league. That in itself gives him a head start on Klopp."