Chelsea have held a first round of talks with Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Ruben Amorim as they narrow down the shortlist of candidates for their head coach position.
Nagelsmann had a face-to-face meeting with the Blues’ co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley on Thursday.
The 35-year-old former Bayern Munich manager is a leading contender for the job, having worked with Stewart and influential technical director Christopher Vivell at RB Leipzig.
Chelsea also met former Spain coach Enrique when he flew into London earlier this month just before Frank Lampard was named caretaker manager.
Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has also held talks but he is not expected to make the final shortlist that will be presented to co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Chelsea are thought to have had contact with several other contenders for the job but senior sources insist there is no preferred candidate, or appointment imminent, at this stage.
The club aim to narrow down their shortlist of up to seven coaches to just a few candidates to present to Boehly and Eghbali.
Former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has not been ruled out, while Napoli's Luciano Spalletti and Eintracht Frankfurt's Oliver Glasner are also thought to be under consideration.
There is no interest in Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte, who recently left Tottenham and has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are undertaking what is described as an “extensive process” for a coach capable of rebuilding the club in a “collaborative approach” with the owners and sporting directors.
Boehly is under pressure to get the next appointment right, having been abused by supporters during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League and face an uphill task in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid on Tuesday, trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Spain.
