WILL Still is no longer in contention to take charge at Sunderland this summer after a dramatic twist, with Black Cats bosses now turning their attention elsewhere in the search for a new head coach.

Still has been Sunderland's leading target in recent weeks after the 31-year-old's Reims exit early in May.

The Belgian's camp say Still has rejected Sunderland because he has concerns over investment and the make-up of his coaching team.

However, Sunderland sources say a deal for Still to take charge of the Black Cats was all but agreed last weekend and contracts were on the verge of being exchanged before the u-turn, which follows French top tier club Lens registering their interest in the head coach. They look increasingly likely to land Still.

Lens are on the lookout for a new boss with current head coach Franck Haise set for Nice, where he'll replace former Sunderland target Francesco Farioli, who left for Ajax earlier this month.

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Still, who has also recently held talks with Norwich City, was on Sunderland's radar back in December after Tony Mowbray's exit and emerged as the leading target for the Black Cats when he became available earlier this month.

And Sunderland sources say bosses thought their search for a new head coach had come to a close with the capture of Still just days ago.

Sunderland will now turn their attention elsewhere, and while it's unclear how many candidates now remain in the frame to take charge at the Stadium of Light, the Black Cats are said to have "live targets".

One of those is Rene Maric, whose Bayern Munich future remains unclear. The 31-year-old is currently in charge of Bayern's Under-19s and was expected to step up and become part of the first team coach staff under new boss Vincent Kompany. But that has not yet been confirmed and Maric was yesterday installed as the new favourite with bookmakers to take charge at Sunderland.

The search for Michael Beale's replacement this week passed the 100-day mark.

A number of candidates have been crossed off the list in recent weeks, including Bo Svensson, who took charge of Union Berlin, and Danny Rohl, who agreed a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday.

Raphael Wicky was this week linked with the vacancy, with reports in Italy claiming a deal had been agreed. However, those reports were wide of the mark. Wicky is understood to have been profiled in the very early stages of the process to appoint a new head coach but talks have never taken place.