Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are reportedly hoping to speak with at least five managers as they search for Graham Potter's successor.
The Blues board relieved Potter of his duties on Sunday night after just seven months and 31 matches in charge since replacing Thomas Tuchel in September.
The 47-year-old was initially hired with a view to a long-term project, and he was contracted to the Blues until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, putting him in line for a hefty payoff.
However, Chelsea have reportedly struck an agreement to pay Potter a regular severance package rather than the reported £50m he would have been entitled to with his sacking.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion right-back Bruno Saltor has been placed in interim charge for the time being, as the powers-that-be search high and low for Potter's replacement.
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A wealth of candidates have already been tipped to take the role, and according to The Telegraph, the Chelsea board want to interview at least a quintet of coaches in the coming weeks and months.
Boehly and Eghbahli are supposedly preparing to let sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley take charge of the process after the duo instigated Potter's exit over the weekend.
Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern Munich only a couple of weeks before Potter lost his job, has seemingly emerged as the early frontrunner given his close relationship with former RB Leipzig and current Chelsea technical director Christopher Vivell.
However, Chelsea are not prepared to place all their eggs in one basket with the 35-year-old, who will likely wait until the summer before deciding on his next club.
The report adds that Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino will likely hold talks with the Blues in the near future, with the former stepping down from his post as Spain head coach after the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Pochettino was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2021-22 season, and the former Tottenham Hotspur coach is believed to be open to a return to the Premier League.
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Pochettino was unsurprisingly tipped to return to Spurs in place of Antonio Conte - who left his post by mutual consent last weekend - but Tottenham have apparently told the Argentine that he is not in the running for the job.
Other candidates to replace Potter include Napoli's Luciano Spalletti, whose side sit 16 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, despite suffering a shock 4-0 loss to AC Milan on Sunday night.
Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner could also be interviewed by Chelsea, who are wary that Spurs, Real Madrid and PSG could all be on the hunt for new head coaches in the summer.
A 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa proved to be the final straw for Potter, who left with a record of 12 wins, eight draws and 11 defeats from his 31 games in charge of Chelsea.
Defeat to Villa left Chelsea 11th in the Premier League table, and Bruno's first game as interim head coach comes at home to Liverpool on Tuesday evening.
Potter lost his job only a few hours after Brendan Rodgers left Leicester City by mutual agreement, and the Englishman is being tipped to make an immediate return to management with the Foxes.
Ben Knapton
