Daniel leaves in July after eight years with the ENO, having survived a chaotic period in which the company faced a financial crisis and was savaged for its avant-garde productions. In 2002, Daniels's boss, general director Nicholas Payne, was forced out; he has since been replaced by artistic director and chief executive Sešn Doran.

According to the Guardian, Caetani is currently the frontrunner for the position. The Italian conductor's full-time job (as of last month) is with the Melbourne Symphony, but he is a widely traveled opera conductor. However, he has only conducted at the ENO once.

Litton's tenure in Dallas ends next year, so he is available for the time-consuming position. And though he is American, he is a familiar presence in England, having led the Bournemouth Symphony for six years and conducted at the ENO and Welsh National Opera.

Other candidates, the paper says, include two Britons: Mark Wigglesworth, who has conducted regularly at the ENO, and David Parry, music director of Almeida Opera, who is scheduled to conduct Anthony Minghella's production of Madame Butterfly at the ENO next season. Wigglesworth was the early favorite, but has reportedly said that he does not want to work for Doran.