France's World Cup coach Roger Lemerre is expected to sign a contract to manage the Tunisian national side over the weekend.

The North Africans have been without a full-time coach since the end of the World Cup, when Ammar Souayah stepped down on grounds of ill health.

Officials at the Tunisian Football Federation told BBC Sport Online that Lemerre was on his way to Tunis to finalise the deal.

The news follows weeks of speculation regarding the identity of the new coach.

Portuguese Artur Jorge, Frenchman Philippe Troussier, Yugoslav international Vahid Halihodzic and former Swiss national coach Gilbert Gress were all reported to be on the Tunisian shopping list.

Lemerre, who took France to victory at the 2000 European Championship, was sacked in July after Les Bleus failed to win, or even score a goal, at the World Cup in Korea and Japan.

The Tunisian Federation has a history of appointing French coaches for the national side.

The last one to lead them was Henri Michel, who left in March after a dismal Nations Cup tournament in Mali.

Another, Henri Kasperczak, is considered to be the most successful coach in the history of Tunisian football.

The Franco-Pole brought the team back from the international wilderness and led them to the World Cup finals in 1998.

If Lemerre gets the national job, it will be his second stint in the country. He managed Esperance, one of Africa's top clubsides, in 1996.