Chelsea are said to be meeting Brighton manager Graham Potter this afternoon with a view to appointing him as their new head coach.
The Blues are looking to replace Thomas Tuchel following his sacking this morning and the Englishman is currently sat top of their list of candidates.
According to The Athletic, Brighton are believed to have granted permission for official talks to take place between Chelsea and Potter after the west London club indicated their readiness to pay his release clause.
That release clause is believed to decrease each year and is currently set at around £16m, states the Guardian.
That is a lot of money to pay for a manager and The Athletic states that Potter has also given his blessing to enter talks with Chelsea over the potential new role.
Aside from Potter, Mauricio Pochettino has also been approached by Chelsea and is thought to be among the alternative options, reports The Athletic.
Unlike the Brighton boss, Pochettino is out of work, and it is understood that the former Paris Saint-Germain manager would be open to the possibility of replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, as he did at the Parc des Princes.
The Argentine’s reputation has taken a big hit after that job in Paris, which has been made worse thanks to Christophe Galtier’s success with PSG so far.
Hiring the former Tottenham manager would be a big risk but that also applies to Potter. Chelsea need to decide whether they want long-term or short-term success, with both coaches falling into the latter category.