Sunderland are close to appointing Alex Neil as their new head coach, the PA news agency understands.

Hours after it emerged that the Black Cats had failed to finalise a deal to bring primary target Roy Keane back to the club despite several rounds of discussions, former Norwich and Preston boss Neil was understood to have agreed to take over at the Stadium of Light.

The 40-year-old Scot was one of a series of candidates with whom the club held talks – ex-Hull manager Grant McCann was also heavily linked with the post – and he is set to get the nod to replace Lee Johnson, who was sacked in the wake of last month’s 6-0 Sky Bet League One defeat at Bolton.

Sunderland are yet to confirm Neil’s impending arrival but are expected to do so ahead of Saturday’s trip to AFC Wimbledon.

He was sacked by Preston in March last year but had previously guided Norwich to promotion to the Premier League.

The Black Cats currently lie in fourth place in the third tier, just two points adrift of the automatic promotion places, although they have played four games more than Wigan in second, with leaders Rotherham a further nine points clear.

Worryingly, they have lost each of their last three matches, the last two under interim boss Mike Dodds to bottom-of-the-table Doncaster and Cheltenham, who had not won in 11 attempts in the league.

Neil’s installation would, however, come amid huge disappointment among fans who had hoped Keane would reprise the role he performed on Wearside between August 2006 and December 2008, when he guided the cub out of the Sky Bet Championship into the Premier League and managed to keep them there.

The former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder departed after his relationship with then owner Ellis Short soured and last managed in his own right at Ipswich in 2011, although he has coached with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and the Republic of Ireland in the meantime.