Former Harlequins boss Dean Richards is set to be appointed as the director of rugby of Newcastle Falcons for next season, BBC Sport reports.
The club is expected to make a formal announcement at the end of the week.
Former England forward Richards was banned for three years, following his involvement in the Bloodgate scandal when he was in charge of Harlequins.
His suspension ends in mid-August, when he is expected to take over from current Newcastle boss Gary Gold.
Gold took charge at Kingston Park on a six-month contract from Alan Tait in January but is expected to return to his native South Africa at the end of the season.
A move to Newcastle would see Richards team up with his former Leicester colleague John Wells.
The Falcons are currently bottom of the Premiership, eight points adrift of safety.
Richards, who won 48 caps for England cut his teeth in coaching at Leicester, winning four Premiership titles and two Heineken Cups at the club where he spent 15 years as a player.
He took charge at Harlequins in 2005 when they were in the second tier and led them straight back into the Premiership.
His four-year tenure ended in 2009 when he was implicated over a fake blood injury to Quins player Tom Williams during a Heineken Cup defeat to Leinster.
He also spent a season at French club Grenoble.
More recently, he has worked as an adviser with Worcester Warriors.
Former Worcester coach Mike Ruddock, who oversaw Wales to the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005, told the BBC that he supports Richards' return to the sport.
"It's pretty simple as far as I'm concerned," Ruddock told 5 live Sport. "Dean has put his hand up and he knows he's done wrong.
"He's been banned for three years and he's served his time.
"As that's the case and, as he's coming back into the game, then he should be allowed to put that behind him and get on with coaching."
