The English FA last night confirmed they are in talks with Lazio manager Sven-Goran Eriksson with a view to him taking over as England manager. FA executive director David Davies confirmed their approach after Italian news agency ANSA ran a story that the Swede would take over from next July.

"The Football Association are aware of tonight's reports from Italy," said Davies at a hastily convened press briefing at Lancaster Gate in London late last night. "Meetings have taken place over the past 24 hours with Sven-Goran Eriksson and representatives of his club, Lazio.

"The FA have discussed the possibility of him taking charge of the England team, both for key games in the short term, and in a full-time capacity in the long term. Those talks will resume in the near future.

"Meanwhile, we are continuing to build a team of young English coaches, all with real potential, to work with the new senior England coach."

It was reported by the Italian news agency that Eriksson had accepted a five-year contract worth around £2 million sterling a year. ANSA said a meeting took place yesterday at the Formello training complex after Lazio's new signing Dino Baggio was presented to the press.

The English FA's selection panel includes chief executive Adam Crozier, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, Liverpool director Noel White, Davies, Premier League chairman Dave Richards, Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale and technical director Howard Wilkinson.

England have been facing a managerial crisis following Kevin Keegan's resignation in the wake of a 1-0 World Cup qualifier defeat by Germany at Wembley earlier this month. While Wilkinson and subsequently Leicester City's Peter Taylor have been called in on a caretaker basis to replace Keegan, it was widely believed that the English FA wished to offer the permanent job to Eriksson.

Eriksson (52) has long been considered amongst the best coaches in European soccer. A modest footballer, Eriksson first emerged on the international scene as a coach when guiding IFK Gothenburg to the 1981 Swedish title. Three league title wins with Benfica in Portugal followed on that, as well as spells with AS Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria in Italy.

Eriksson, however, pulled off arguably his greatest success last season when leading Lazio to their first title win in 26 years, thus ending almost a decade of AC Milan and Juventus monopoly of the championship. Affable, understated and distinctly effective, Eriksson has been in constant employment as a coach since starting out with Swedish third division side Deghefors in 1976.

A decision to leave Lazio at the end of the season would surprise the Rome club. Reports over the weekend suggested that Lazio are willing to increase his present annual salary of $2.3 million in order to hold on to the Swede.

Eriksson, however, may be influenced by Lazio's poor start to the season which has seen them lose to Verona in Serie A and to Arsenal in the Champions League. Eriksson may also be disappointed with the manner in which the Lazio owner, Sergio Cragnotti, sold off key players in last year's winning squad, such as Portuguese winger Sergio Conceicao and Argentine midfielder Matias Almeyda, in order to buy Argentine striker Hernan Crespo from Parma for $55 million.

Prior to joining Lazio in the summer of 1997, Eriksson reached a preliminary agreement with then Premiership side Blackburn Rovers, an agreement that he hastily (and amicably) discarded when the Lazio job became available. In an interview with this writer last December, Eriksson admitted candidly that he did not rule out a future move to England, saying:

"I would go anywhere and to any club where I thought there was a chance of doing something and of winning something."

If Eriksson, who speaks excellent English, takes over when his contract with Lazio ends in July next year, then he will face a baptism of fire in his first competitive game as England manager - they are away to Germany on September 1st.

Eriksson's possible hiring comes after a host of names such as France's World Cup winning coach Aime Jacquet and Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger have ruled themselves out of contention for the job.