The Mets and David Stearns can finally speak with Craig Counsell again.

Less than a week before Counsell’s contract with the Brewers expires, the Mets have received permission from Milwaukee to talk with Counsell about their open manager position, The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed Wednesday.

SNY first reported the development.

Counsell’s contract with the Brewers is set to expire Tuesday and the Mets were initially expected to have to wait until then to speak with him about potentially following Stearns from Milwaukee to Queens.

But they can now get a jump start on the interview process to find the manager who will succeed Buck Showalter.

Stearns, who worked with Counsell from 2016-2022 as the general manager and then president of baseball operations for the Brewers, said this month he would cast “a wide net” in his manager search.

But his familiarity with Counsell has pointed toward the two potentially reuniting with the Mets, who waited nearly three years to land Stearns after his own contract with the Brewers ran out.

“I view the managerial position as one of true partnership,” Stearns said on the day he was officially hired by the Mets. “Someone who is working side by side with me and the rest of our baseball ops group. The manager has so many responsibilities these days. It is a big job. But first and foremost is the ability to manage people, manage personalities, and create and facilitate an organizational culture where people enjoy coming to work and work hard.”

The Brewers hired Counsell, a two-time World Series champion during his 16-year playing career, during the 2015 season, a few months before Stearns was hired to lead their front office.

Counsell has led the Brewers to a 707-625 record during his tenure in Milwaukee, leading them to three division titles and five playoff appearances.

That included this year, when they fell to the eventual National League champion Diamondbacks in the wild-card round.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has said he hopes to keep Counsell, who has plenty of roots in the area.

The 53-year-old went to high school in Milwaukee, played six seasons with the Brewers and still has two daughters in high school nearby and two sons playing baseball at the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota.

The Mets and Brewers may not be the only ones interested in Counsell, though, with the Padres, Angels and Guardians still looking to fill their manager positions — and the Astros possibly joining them with Dusty Baker reportedly considering retirement.

Counsell is expected to be in for a raise wherever he lands.

This season, Counsell made $3.5 million, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported, well short of the Rangers’ Bruce Bochy, who is believed to be MLB’s highest-paid manager at around $5 million-$6 million.

Stearns indicated that he was not going to “rush” the search for his first manager, which he appears to be staying true to with no known formal interviews yet to take place in the three-plus weeks since he joined the Mets.

If Counsell does not end up following Stearns to New York, the Mets are believed to be open to hiring a first-time manager.

Before the veteran Showalter, the Mets had hired three straight first-time managers in Mickey Callaway, Carlos Beltran and Luis Rojas.

While the manager search continues, the Mets have received at least one inquiry from another team on pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, The Post’s Mike Puma reported Wednesday.

Hefner, who is under contract for next season, has told team officials he will wait to see if he fits in the Mets’ plans before considering other jobs.