As Terry Collins moves toward completing what will almost certainly be his final week as Mets manager, organizational officials are busy compiling a list of potential candidates for the position.

Early persons of interest, according to industry sources, all have ties to the organization: Robin Ventura, Alex Cora and Kevin Long. Two others with ties to the organization — Bob Geren and Chip Hale — are also in the conversation, according to sources.

Barring a last-minute change of heart by Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon, the 68-year-old Collins will be informed by team brass as early as Monday that his contract won’t be renewed for next season. Collins may then say he is retiring, sparing Wilpon and general manager Sandy Alderson from having to publicly announce the separation as a firing or decision not to renew the manager’s contract.

Collins, according to sources, has been open to returning for 2018 — to take one last shot at winning a World Series with a potentially healthy roster — but the organization is ready to move in a different direction, after a season in which Collins’ game management has come under fire by the front office.

Wilpon remains Collins’ strongest ally within the organization, but sources say the Mets patriarch is unlikely to overrule his baseball operations department and spare the manager.

Former third baseman Ventura is the most recognizable name among the early candidates, after a 16-year major league career that included three seasons with the Mets. The 50-year-old Ventura would fulfill two criteria strongly desired by team brass: big league managing experience and a familiarity with New York and the demands that come with the job. Ventura, who spent five seasons managing the White Sox, is viewed positively by the Wilpon family, according to sources, after making a strong impression in the clubhouse during his tenure with the Mets from 1999 to 2001.

The 41-year-old Cora has spent this season as the Astros’ bench coach after working four years in television. The former infielder, who hails from Puerto Rico, played for the Mets in 2009 and ’10 and is well-versed in analytics, making him desirable to the front office, which seeks a new alternative to Collins’ old-school approach.

But the most intriguing potential candidate — an “outside the box” possibility, according to a source — could be the current hitting coach, Long.

Team officials view Long as an outstanding communicator who is extremely popular with the players, and his thorough understanding of analytics, coupled with his traditional baseball sensibilities, add to his candidacy. Working against the 50-year-old Long is the fact he hasn’t been a manager above the Single-A level.

But Long’s contract with the Mets is set to expire after this season and it’s unclear if he will return to the organization if not offered the manager’s job. Team brass could promote the highly respected Long to manager, partly to prevent him from leaving.

Geren is the Dodgers’ bench coach — he served in that capacity with the Mets for four seasons — and is well regarded by Alderson. Hale, the former Mets third base coach — he spent two seasons managing the Diamondbacks — was a finalist for the managerial job when Collins was hired before the 2011 season.