FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill has told OTB Sports, he expects Stephen Kenny's new contract to be agreed by next month.
The Republic of Ireland manager's current deal expires in the summer, and talks have been ongoing regarding an extension since the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign.
2021 ended brightly for Kenny, with a run of one win in sixteen matches ended by a 3-0 victory away to Azerbaijan. Ireland go into their March friendlies off the back of three wins out of four, and they've not conceded a goal in 430-minutes of football.
That upturn in form has led to expectation of a new Kenny deal, rather than major questions over his future.
However, pen is yet to be put to paper, but Hill explained on Tuesday, "It's pretty simple actually, because Stephen wants to continue in the role and we're delighted at that, because we want him to continue in the role.
"He has an existing contract, which is in place until the end of July, and we are in the process of negotiating a renewal of that contract through to the end of Euro 2024."
Asked if he expects the contract arrangements to be agreed by the time Belgium visit Dublin on March 26, Hill responded, "Absolutely, yeah."
Hill was speaking after a busy 24 hours for the FAI, during which they launched their Strategy 2022-2025 document, and confirmed their interest in a joint bid for Euro 2028.
The latter has drawn criticism from some quarters, with the perception that the association should concentrate on the nuts and bolts of domestic football, rather than big ticket events.
When pressed on the FAI's financial responsibility towards the Euro bid, Hill said, "It's a very modest amount in relation to what we the FAI have to put behind the bid process itself, and it is shared within the other four associations as well.
He added, "We also are making very specific commitments to all of the areas that we talk about in relation to the Strategy.
"Over and above the €2million the Government have given us in relation to the grassroots, we are making an additional contribution to the grassroots - which is what we should be doing as a football association. That is our purpose.
"It doesn't necessarily follow that doing one thing, means that we can't do the others.
"We are planning very, very carefully. And this process, and this Strategy will give us the framework to be able to plan - very carefully - how we allocate the money that we do have available for us."
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