The Daily Mail reported that initial discussions with Sage took place on Saturday, with further conversations following on Sunday as Palace worked to move quickly on an appointment. Sage guided Lens to second place in Ligue 1 and won the Coupe de France in his debut season at the club, having arrived last summer from Lyon where he saved the club from relegation and guided them to a sixth-place finish.
Luis Enrique, who saw his PSG side face Lens in a tight title race this season, publicly praised Sage's work.
"He deserves coach of the year," the Spanish manager said. Sage, who began his coaching career in Lyon's academy before rising to take charge of the first team, has built a reputation for an attractive, high-energy style that has drawn admiration from across European football."
Crystal Palace had identified Iraola as their first choice to replace Glasner, who led the club to the Conference League title and departs with three trophies in two and a half seasons. But Liverpool's entry into the picture has effectively ended that pursuit — Iraola is free, available and preferred by the Anfield hierarchy, who want an appointment confirmed before the World Cup begins on June 11.
Frank Lampard, Dino Toppmöller, Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche have all been discussed internally at Selhurst Park. Lampard was among the early bookmakers' favourites following Liverpool's move for Iraola, with Coventry City — the club he currently manages — understood to be reluctant to lose him after guiding them back to the Championship. Sage, however, has emerged as the most credible alternative given his current availability and the quality of his work at Lens.
Sage has two years remaining on his contract at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Any deal with Palace would require compensation to be agreed with the French club, adding one further complication to a search that is already under pressure for time.