The news Norwich City supporters have been longing for looks to have moved a step closer, with a new contract for head coach Daniel Farke reportedly close to being agreed.

The man who has led the Canaries to the top of the Championship and five points clear of third place with 15 games remaining is poised to agree fresh terms, The Telegraph claimed on Tuesday night.

Farke's contract has been an ongoing worry for City supporters in recent months, as the club's promotion hopes have grown, knowing that the German's current deal is due to expire in the summer.

The 42-year-old joined from Borussia Dortmund II in May 2017 following the appointment of sporting director Stuart Webber and after a difficult first campaign, finishing 14th, things have clicked into place this season.

The report states talks have been ongoing since late last year but that negotiations on a new two-and-a-half-year deal are moving towards a conclusion, as are talks with assistant coach Eddie Riemer.

Norwich have lost just one of their last 19 Championship matches ahead of Wednesday night's game away to mid-table side Preston North End, following a fine 3-0 triumph over local rivals Ipswich at Carrow Road on Sunday, extending the club's dominance of the East Anglian derby to 12 matches. His team are also currently on a club record unbeaten streak of 13 away league games.

Both Webber and Farke have insisted the contract situation was not a cause for concern throughout this season, repeatedly insisting they were 'relaxed' about the situation.

Yet with the remarkable progress made meaning the prospect of a Premier League return is becoming a very real possibility, the news could act as a major boost for the final stage of the campaign.

Set against the backdrop of having to sell key players such as James Maddison, Josh Murphy and Alex Pritchard to generate key funds following the end of parachute payments, the classy coach's work has seen him build a strong rapport with Canaries fans, as demonstrated again when he orchestrated the celebrations after victory over Ipswich.

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Part of that popularity has also been Farke's willingness to bring academy products Jamal Lewis, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey and Todd Canwell into his team, as well as his work with Webber to sign bargains from Germany such as Tom Trybull, Christoph Zimmermann and Moritz Leitner.

The news broke following Farke's pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon but the City chief did talk about his side's current good form ahead of their trip to Preston.

'We're all happy, just big compliments to the players because we have had so many different tasks in the recent weeks,' the former Lippstadt boss said.

'So we had an away game at the league leaders Leeds, who were really on fire, and we were there with a really convincing performance and result, then a completely different task against a team 24th in the league in a home game where we were the favourite and the opposition (Ipswich) tries to break our rhythm and of course with aggression and emotions.

'But we were also able to handle this and more or less we have been able to have consistency in our performances and also our results – and for that I have big compliments for my lads because it has been outstanding, especially for such a young side. So I just can praise the lads.'