Chelsea receive a major blow in their pursuit to appoint a new manager after the departure of Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues are considering their options as they look for a replacement of Pochettino, who left the Premier League club by mutual consent this week.
According to The Times, Brighton and Hove Albion have decided to make a formal approach to Chelsea manager target Kieran McKenna.
The young Ipswich Town manager is considered one of the best up and coming managers in England.
He guided Ipswich to the Premier League after back to back promotions, earning praise for the remarkable job he has done in the process.
Brighton and Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi decided to go their separate ways at the end of the season and now the Seagulls have identified McKenna as their primary target.
The report states that the Premier League club are willing to pay £6million in compensation for the manager as they prepare to make a formal approach for his services.
Because of his tremendous performance with the Tractor Boys, former Manchester United coach McKenna is drawing interest from Brighton and Chelsea.
Having assumed the position in 2021, this is the 38-year-old’s first experience in senior management.
Brighton are confident of beating Chelsea to agree a deal with the manager but in the event of losing out on McKenna, the Premier League club would target former manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea and Brighton both want McKenna
Potter has been out of work since getting sacked by Chelsea but the Seagulls have fond memories of his time at the club.
The Daily Mail reported that McKenna is interested in the Chelsea job while Ipswich are hoping to make him stay at the club amid continued interest in his services.
A move to the Blues would be a huge jump in his career as he would be going from managing in the Championship to managing a top six Premier League club.