Jens Berthel Askou has moved near the top of Toulouse’s shortlist as the French club continues its search for a new manager, according to a report from Stephen McGowan of The Herald. Carles Martinez Novell is expected to leave Toulouse this summer, and the club is now weighing its options for a replacement.

SunSport’s Robert Grieve reported that Toulouse may be willing to pay around £1million in compensation if they decide to pursue Askou formally. No official contact has been made, but the interest underlines how quickly the Dane’s first season in Scottish football has raised his profile in less than 12 months.

Askou arrived in Scottish football last summer and has made an immediate impression at Motherwell, where his side have drawn notice for the way they press high, move the ball quickly and try to play through teams. That style has helped Motherwell stay in the conversation around a possible fourth-place finish and a push towards European football, and it has also made life difficult for Celtic at points this season.

Motherwell’s performance against Celtic at Fir Park earlier in the season was one of the fixtures that sharpened attention on Askou. A team that many expected to spend much of the campaign on the back foot instead forced one of Scotland’s dominant sides to work for everything, and that has fed the sense that his methods travel well beyond Lanarkshire.

The Toulouse link is the latest sign that Askou’s work is being noticed beyond Scotland, and he has also been mentioned as a possible long-term option for Celtic. Martin O’Neill has dragged Celtic back into the title race, but the wider managerial picture around the club remains fluid, and Askou’s name has entered that discussion because of what he has done at Motherwell.

For Toulouse, the timing matters because the club is preparing for life after Martinez Novell, and any move for Askou would likely require more than admiration from afar. Around £1million is not a trivial figure for a manager still early in his senior career, but it is the kind of outlay that suggests serious intent if the French club decides he is the right fit. The next step will be whether that interest turns into direct contact, and whether Motherwell can hold on to a manager whose first Premiership season has already carried him into wider view.