Chelsea are not looking to bring in Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi as a possible replacement for Graham Potter, who was also a former Brighton boss, as former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique prepares for talks with the club.
Former Seagulls boss Potter was dismissed by the Blues on Sunday evening after less than seven months in charge, with Chelsea languishing in a lowly 11th in the Premier League.
The final straw for the club was their dismal 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, with the Englishman winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge.
Roberto De Zerbi has enjoyed a fine season at Brighton since replacing Potter in September, leading his side to sixth place while playing a superb brand of attacking football.
However, according to The Athletic, the Italian is not in the running to be the next Chelsea boss as he doesn’t fit the profile the club are looking for.
The report states that while the Blues’ hierarchy holds Brighton as a club and their senior figures in the highest esteem, they will not attempt to make a move for Roberto De Zerbi.
They are set to undergo an extensive process to appoint a long-term replacement for Potter, with the search to be led by the club’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
But any final decision is set to be made by co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Meanwhile, reports in Spain are suggesting that the Blues have several candidates in mind, including Enrique – who left his role with the national team following a disappointing World Cup exit in the last-16 by Morocco.
AS reports that – although former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is the favourite for the role – any move for the 35-year-old has been hindered by his problems in sorting out a settlement with the German giants upon his departure, meaning the west London side are looking at other options.
This includes Enrique who has been shortlisted, with Chelsea’s technical director Christopher Vivell a fan of the Spaniard and he is now preparing for talks, with Enrique’s agent in discussions with the club.
However, they may face competition in convincing Enrique to join, with Tottenham also keen on the 52-year-old, while Man City are monitoring his situation and view him as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola when he finally leaves the Etihad.
If Enrique was to join Chelsea, it would bring an intriguing prospect to their Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid.
The Spaniard played for Los Blancos for five years before joining Barcelona – who he would go onto manage – and he has previously claimed he didn’t enjoy his time at the Bernabeu.
While he coached the Catalan giants from 2014-17 Enrique won nine titles, including one Champions League and LaLiga on two separate occasions.
He has also been in charge of Barcelona B, Roma, Celta Vigo and Spain – winning 255 of his 434 games in the managerial hotseat.
Chelsea return to action under interim manager Bruno Saltor on Tuesday night when they host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.