Enzo Maresca Set to Join Chelsea as New Manager After Leicester City Contact

Enzo Maresca might become Chelsea’s new boss. He’s leading the race for the job, ahead of Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank.

Chelsea has asked Leicester if they can start official talks with Maresca, who’s currently their manager. Both Maresca and De Zerbi were hoping to impress Chelsea’s big bosses and take over at Stamford Bridge.

Now, it looks like Maresca, who’s 44, is the favorite to take over from Mauricio Pochettino.

The search for a new manager started after Pochettino and Chelsea parted ways last week. Maresca, who used to help out at Manchester City, won the Championship with Leicester this season. He’s learned a lot from Pep Guardiola and has caught the eye of Chelsea’s top sports directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

They think Maresca is the best choice for Chelsea’s next manager, and the club’s owners agree.

Maresca is keen on the job, but Chelsea will need to pay Leicester about £9 million to get him.

Pochettino, the former Tottenham manager, helped Chelsea finish in sixth place, which means they’ll play in the Europa Conference League next season. He left before the FA Cup final, which decided if Chelsea would play in the Europa League. They missed out because Manchester United beat Manchester City.

After leaving Chelsea, Pochettino is now a possible choice for Manchester United’s manager job.