Chelsea 'make opening contact with Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique'

Chelsea have reportedly made contact with each of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique as they bid to appoint a new head coach.

On Sunday evening, the Blues announced that they had parted company with Graham Potter, removing the Englishman from his position after just 31 matches in charge.

In the interim, Bruno Saltor has been handed the reins, with his first match being a home Premier League encounter with Liverpool on Tuesday evening.

However, the Chelsea hierarchy will go through the process of appointing a long-term option over the coming days and weeks, it currently unclear when they will get a deal over the line.

Immediately after Potter's dismissal, it was claimed that Nagelsmann was high up on Chelsea's shortlist despite his own sacking from Bayern Munich two weeks ago.

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The general consensus is that the German prefers to wait until the summer before deciding on his next challenge, the assumption being that it will be outside of his homeland.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have moved to make contact with the 35-year-old, as well as Enrique, over the past 48 hours.

Although Nagelsmann is a clear favourite with bookmakers, Enrique is known to be interested in a switch to the Premier League having left his post with Spain after the World Cup.

As recently as last week, Enrique acknowledged that he would be prepared to move to England for the right job as he looks to resume his club career.

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The 52-year-old has only been in charge of his national team since 2018, but he enjoyed a standout period as Barcelona manager between 2014 and 2017.

During that period, Enrique recorded 138 victories from 181 matches, counting two La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy among his accolades.

Nagelsmann and Enrique are not the only two candidates for the vacant position with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim also said to have admirers at Stamford Bridge.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remains a possibility, but Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi would not consider a move to West London.