Luis Enrique is emerging as the number one candidate for the Chelsea job, according to reports in Spain.
Chelsea are on the lookout for a new manager for the second time this season, with Graham Potter having been relieved of his duties earlier this month following an ill-fated spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The Solihull-born boss was initially brought in back in September as Todd Boehly’s prime candidate to replace Thomas Tuchel, though 11 defeats in his 31 games in charge saw the axe somewhat unsurprisingly fall on the 47-year-old with Chelsea languishing in 11th in the Premier League.
The new Chelsea owner has said the club are keen to conduct a ‘thorough process’ before appointing Potter’s permanent replacement, with club legend and former manager, Frank Lampard, in interim charge until the end of the season.
Chelsea have already held talks with a number of potential candidates, including Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Ruben Amorim, and according to Spanish publication AS, former Spain and Barcelona boss Enrique is emerging as the number one contender.
The Asturian reportedly held a video call with the Chelsea hierarchy earlier this month before flying to London for face-to-face talks.
However, the report says that the coach was ‘disappointed’ not to be given the opportunity to take the job for Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid last week, as Frank Lampard’s side lost 2-0 at the Bernabeu ahead of Tuesday’s second leg in West London.
The report says that Nagelsmann – sacked by Bayern Munich earlier this month – is the main contender to Enrique for the role, though suggests that the appointment of Enrique could help the club in their pursuit of luring Gavi from Barcelona.
Gavi was given his international debut for Spain by Enrique, with the player’s future at the Nou Camp currently up in the air. Chelsea have reportedly been in contact with the player for a number of weeks amid interest from a number of Premier League sides.
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