Chelsea have made Leicester City official for Enzo Maresca after making the Italian their main target to succeed Mauricio Pochettino.
Les Bleus have spoken to a number of young, dynamic coaches in recent days after parting ways with Pochettino early last week.
But it was Maresca, 44, who emerged as the frontrunner for the vacant post at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will now have to strike a deal with Leicester to move Maresca away from last season’s championship winners, with The Telegraph claiming that around £10m will be needed to terminate his contract at the King Power Stadium.
Maresca guided the Foxes to the league’s name in his first season in charge and inspired early talks with Chelsea, who have been racing hard to identify their next boss.
He settled on strikers Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi, while other coaches, including Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, were also under eye for the position.
In the past, Maresca worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and gained a reputation for his taste for possession-based football. The report adds that Chelsea officials were inspired by Maresca’s “obsession with positional play”.
Chelsea will do without Pochettino after talks about the clash last week. The Argentine signed a two-year contract last summer.
Join the debate! Chelsea fans: do you think Maresca is the right selection to succeed Pochettino?Let us know here.
Despite a difficult campaign, Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League to qualify for Europe next season. They will now participate in the Europa Conference League after Manchester United’s FA Cup victory.
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell admitted at the weekend that the decision to take a tactical part with Pochettino took the dressing room by surprise.
Speaking at the Monaco Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports: “Yeah, you know, it’s a surprise. I think with the end of the season and the team’s performance, it’s definitely a surprise, but you know, good luck to him. “Wherever he goes, he advances.
“And now we have to look at the long term as a club. I don’t go into speculating about who arrives, but whoever comes in, I’m sure everything will be fine and we can continue next season. “
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