Collingwood are set to announce the appointment of Hawthorn assistant coach Craig McRae as the successor to Nathan Buckley, according to Fox Sports' Tom Morris.
As per Morris' report, the Magpies have notified Richmond assistant Adam Kingsley that he won't be offered the job, while former Brisbane senior coach Michael Voss is also out of contention.
The once-three-horse race now looks to be narrowed to a sole candidate, with McRae tipped to be announced as Collingwood's next senior coach as early as this week.
It is understood that an official job offer is yet to be tabled to McRae, however the former Richmond VFL premiership coach is set to be confirmed pending board approval.
Collingwood Chief Executive Mark Anderson, Collingwood GM of Football Graham Wright, football director Paul Licuria, board member Peter Murphy and former Magpies player Luke Ball led the Collingwood coaching sub-committee.
The Magpies had been linked with departing Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson and former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott in recent months, with both ex-AFL coaches set to remain away from the coaching landscape for the near-future.