The Black Cats sprung a surprise by sacking Tony Mowbray recently, despite the boss having been praised for his work at the Stadium of Light.
The Championship side are now hunting for a successor to Mowbray and a host of managers have been linked with the vacant job.
And Sunderland are in the process of looking at candidates’ availability and cost, with Will Still one of those who homework has been done on.
If they go for a manager who is currently employed elsewhere then they are likely to have to pay compensation to take him from his current job.
How quickly Sunderland will act remains to be seen, but the club are in the thick of a busy run of fixtures which could define their season.
Sunderland have two home games lined up, against West Brom and Leeds United, respectively, before heading to Bristol City.
Before Christmas they host Coventry City, while the fixture on Boxing Day is away at Hull City.
