Julian Nagelsmann leads race to manage Chelsea after impressing in talks

Julian Nagelsmann has given himself a good chance of becoming Chelsea’s head coach after impressing during initial talks, but the German will face competition from Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea have started to cut their shortlist of candidates and Nagelsmann, 35, is still seen as the likeliest appointment. The former Bayern Munich manager made a positive impression during a meeting with the club’s sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, last week and he has support from the co-owner Behdad Eghbali.

However no decision has been made and Chelsea expect to hold further talks with potential hires. They have spoken to Sporting’s Rúben Amorim and the former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique. Amorim has not been ruled out but is seen as an outsider. There are doubts over Luis Enrique, who is also being targeted by Tottenham, after he made several demands during talks a fortnight ago.

Chelsea are keeping their options open and have made contact with Pochettino, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer. The former Tottenham manager spoke to Chelsea before they appointed Graham Potter as Thomas Tuchel’s replacement last September. The Argentinian will also be a candidate for Real Madrid if Carlo Ancelotti leaves the European champions.

Chelsea, who placed Frank Lampard in interim charge after firing Potter this month, are under pressure to get their next appointment right. Their season is all but over after their Champions League defeat by Madrid and they face the prospect of no European football next season. It is understood some players face the prospect of up to 30% wage cuts because of Chelsea missing out on the Champions League.

Chelsea have spent close to £600m since last