• Sage’s exit from Premier League club still not confirmed

• Manager’s potential return to France could benefit Palace

Crystal Palace could avoid having to pay Pierre Sage significant compensation if he is re-appointed by former club Lens, with the Frenchman’s departure from Selhurst Park still yet to be confirmed.

The decision to sack Sage was made on Sunday evening after Palace slumped to a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool. It was their fourth successive loss in the Premier League and left them bottom of the table for the first time since 2017.

Despite reports on Monday that Sage had been relieved of his post, he has yet to be officially sacked and it is understood that negotiations over compensation over his three-year contract are ongoing. However, Yannick Cahuzac’s sacking by Lens on Tuesday after they were embarrassed 9-1 by Como in a record-equalling Champions League defeat last week before losing 2-1 to Marseille in Ligue 1 has opened the possibility of a swift return to northern France.

The Lens owner and president, Joseph Oughourlian, has remained in close contact with Sage since he left to pursue what the 47-year-old described as his “dream” move to the Premier League. After winning the French Cup and finishing as runners-up in Ligue 1 under Sage, Oughourlian is thought to favour re-appointing him in an attempt to get their season back on track. That would mean Palace could avoid paying any compensation after already spending more than £4m to buy Sage out of his contract when he replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer.

Cahuzac was promoted from his role as assistant to replace Dino Toppmöller when the German was sacked in mid-September after just four matches. But he has been under growing pressure, with supporters unfurling a banner before the game against Marseille that called the players a “disgrace”.

Sage remained hopeful that he would be given more time to turn things around at Palace but there have been few signs of improvement since a 5-0 thrashing by arch-rivals Brighton last month. Some players are understood to have questioned his training methods, although several others are said to have sent him messages of support since the Liverpool defeat.

Thomas Frank is the leading contender to take over, with the former Tottenham and Brentford manager having indicated that he is looking for a new challenge. He held talks with Palace in the summer before they turned to Sage. Sean Dyche and Vítor Pereira are potential alternatives, while Eddie Howe is believed to have rejected an initial inquiry in recent weeks.