Chelsea are seeking permission to speak with Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca.
Sky Sports reports that the Blues want him to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
Maresca has guided Leicester back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Before taking the role at the King Power Stadium, he worked for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant.
Chelsea want Pochettino’s replacement to fit into the club structure, play possession-based football, be collegiate and collaborative, and be comfortable dealing with the media spotlight.
More importantly, they want him to be ready to go head-to-head with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Co-owner Behdad Eghbali will oversee the process of appointing a new head coach, along with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.