'Never rule out anything': Olympique Lyonnais coach Joe Montemurro emerges as lead contender for Matildas top job

The wait for a new Matildas coach could be one step closer to its end as a leading candidate for the position admits he has not ruled out a move away from clubland.

It has been nine months since Tony Gustavsson parted ways with the Matildas but movement has been slow appointing his replacement. Joe Montemurro has now emerged as the leading candidate to take on the job.

Montemurro has led teams to great success across Europe and Australia, winning a total of nine trophies across several global leagues as head coach.

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In Australia, Montemurro led Melbourne City to two A-league Women's Championships, one of which was historic in that his team managed to get through the entire season without dropping a point.

The 55-year-old made the move to Arsenal after his stint in Australia, where he helped the English club break their Women's Super League Title drought and win a League Cup.

Montemurro went on to lead Juventus Women to a historic treble in his first season at the helm. He won another two trophies with the club before moving to Lyonnais.

The Australian coach took up a two-year deal with the women's team in Lyon last June but admitted he is not opposed to taking on an opportunity to coach a national team.

"Never rule out anything in football, mate," he said when asked if he would consider a homecoming to coach the Matildas.

"You know football, it changes. It's still a long way away. I'm under contract and I need to respect that, and I am happy continuing this program at a great club."

Montemurro revealed he has been contacted by Football Australia to begin conversations about the terms of the role, but no deal has been confirmed.

"There's still a lot of water to go under the bridge before the happens," he said.

"I've had two discussions with FA, positive discussions - they've been very, very good and been fantastic to be honest, very professional - but the reality is that I'm in contract.

"I have another year of my contract, and we're looking towards obviously doing the job here now, and then starting next season - so at the moment there's still a lot to do here. That's the current status, and the truth."

Montemurro has experience working with many of the regular starters for the Matildas, having coached Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Ellie Carpenter overseas.

He also took charge of the A-League women's All Stars team which faced the star Arsenal duo in what many expected was an audition for the national job last year.

The timings of Montemurro's potential deal with the Matildas will be of some concern for the team as if he were to accept the job at the end of the European season he would only have eight months to shape the squad for the Asian Cup.

But for now, his sole focus remains on adding a French trophy to his collection.