Chelsea are reportedly already drawing up their shortlist of candidates to replace Mauricio Pochettino as manager as another disappointing season draws to a close.
The Blues currently sit ninth in the table, 13 points off the top five, despite splurging more than £450million in the summer transfer window.
That took their spending under the Todd Boehly regime past the £1billion mark and the club looks set for only a modest improvement on their 12th-placed finish in the 2022/23 campaign.
Pochettino was brought in last summer, but according to Teamtalk, could be set for the exit door this summer, with the report adding that the team have a three-man shortlist for his replacement.
This includes Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, who has been linked with Liverpool and West Ham in recent weeks and spoke to Chelsea last summer prior to Pochettino’s appointment.
Sporting are looking to seal a Portuguese league and cup double this season, with the 39-year-old Amorim one of the most highly-rated young coaches in Europe.
Also linked with the Stamford Bridge job are Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and former Germany and Bayern Munich chief Hansi Flick.
De Zerbi has earned widespread praise for the job he has done with the Seagulls since his was appointed in September 2022 to replace Chelsea-bound Graham Potter.
Flick, meanwhile, was sacked as Germany boss last September after a disappointing two-year stint in charge of Die Mannschaft that included a group stage exit in the 2022 World Cup. Prior to that, he won the Bundesliga twice in his two seasons at Bayern.
More Chelsea stories
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked with replacement already lined up: report
'The way they wanted to do things was in a very wrong way': Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino not happy with his players' actions
Chelsea to re-sign superstar who left five years ago - hijacking rival's statement deal in the process: report
