Official Fulham sources have revealed that Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld and USA manager Bob Bradley are no longer on the club's shortlist to replace Roy Hodgson, and it now appears that Martin Jol is a leading candidate for the job.
Soccernet understands that Mohammed Al Fayed is on the verge of making up his mind in a long drawn-out process of finding the right candidate. Fulham are on schedule to name their new manager by Monday at the latest, and possibly as early as Friday.
A source close to one of the leading candidates told Soccernet: "The rumour is that Martin Jol is now very much in the frame. A decision is expected by Friday and the rumour is that Mohammed Al Fayed has yet to make up his mind.
"The other rumour is that the budget for the manager is £1 million-a-year, which has put the cat amongst the pigeons. If that is the case, than it might be something to tempt a manager like Martin Jol back into English football."
Sven-Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and Carlos Queiroz are also names which continue to be linked with the vacant position. Queiroz is a surprise on the list, but sources inside Craven Cottage have suggested that he is not a leading contender.
Eriksson remains the firm favourite of the media, but Soccernet has been told that Al Fayed was concerned about his salary demands.
That has now been put into perspective by the former England manager's representative. Athole Still, the highly respected agent of Eriksson, has refused to comment to Soccerneton his client's prospects, but revealed that Eriksson earned ?300,000, not the reported £2 million, for three months' work with Ivory Coast prior to and during the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Kia Joorabchian, who represents Hughes, has also told Soccernet that the reported £7 million-a-year he is said to have demanded from West Ham to succeed Gianfranco Zola is way off the mark.
Jol has unfinished business in English football after being sacked by Spurs and would love another crack at the Premier League, but Fulham may not be the right club for the man who is in charge of Dutch side Ajax.
Alan Curbishley is another who can be crossed off the list of candidates, even though the former West Ham boss was initially informed he was a stand-by possibility.