Luis Enrique a frontrunner for Chelsea vacancy, club want new coach for Real Madrid tie – Paper Round

Chelsea keen on Luis Enrique Former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has emerged as a frontrunner for the vacant Chelsea role, The Sun reports. With Julian Nagelsmann on gardening leave after being sacked by Bayern Munich, Chelsea would require permission from the German club to speak with the man they dismissed last week, and with a potential Champions League semi-final showdown in the offing, that may not be forthcoming.

Ad “Enrique has a number of admirers among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy,” The Sun writes. Premier LeagueTuchel: Potter's Chelsea sacking 'didn't trigger big emotions in me'9 HOURS AGO “And he enjoyed most of his success at Barca, where he led an expensively-assembled squad to unprecedented success, as he will be required to do at Chelsea.” ** Soon or the summer? While The Times say Chelsea want a new head coach in before their match against Real Madrid next week, the Guardian claims Chelsea are prepared to wait until the summer given Nagelsmann tops their five-man wishlist – which also includes Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino, Ruben Amorim and Oliver Glasner.

The Guardian writes: “Chelsea’s co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, want the search to be as exhaustive as possible. Responsibility has been handed to the sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who will assess a number of candidates.

Nagelsmann is the early favourite but the former Bayern Munich manager is not certain to land the job. “The feeling is that Chelsea were too quick to act when they appointed Potter, who proved an unsuitable fit.

Boehly and Eghbali led that process, with their sporting structure yet to take shape, and Pochettino was the only other candidate interviewed. More due diligence will be