Julian Nagelsmann has pulled out of the race to become the next Chelsea manager, 90min understands.
The ex-Bayern Munich boss had been a leading contender to fill the vacancy at Stamford Bridge after Graham Potter’s dismissal at the start of April.
But he is no longer under consideration after withdrawing his interest in the role, with sources telling 90min that Chelsea were surprised to learn of Nagelsmann’s decision.
Chelsea have always stressed that there has never been a favourite in the process but sources believed Nagelsmann was leading the race to take control of the Blues next season, particularly following the decision to move away from former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique.
Indeed, 90min understands that even Enrique saw Nagelsmann as Chelsea’s preferred candidate, but the Blues will now be forced to look elsewhere.
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Mauricio Pochettino is another towards the top of Chelsea’s wish list, while Burnley’s Vincent Kompany is also admired at Stamford Bridge for his impressive work in reshaping the Clarets and guiding them back to the Premier League in his first season in charge.
Outsiders in the managerial race include Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Napoli’s Luciano Spalletti.
Chelsea officials have stressed that their process to identify their next manager will be long and thorough, with the decision-makers keen to ensure they find the perfect candidate to lead their rebuild of the Blues.
The hope is that a new boss will have been found before the end of the current campaign with a view to taking control on the first day of pre-season.
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