Chelsea are reportedly closer to appointing Marcelo Gallardo as their new head coach, starting from next season.

Ever since Graham Potter was sacked just over a week ago, the Blues have been heavily linked with a wide array of different candidates.

Luis Enrique, the former Spain coach, is said to have travelled to London to hold discussions, while Julian Nagelsmann and Ruben Amorim are among those who are under consideration.

In order to conduct a thorough recruitment process, Chelsea have appointed Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

While the club legend wants to stake his claim for the full-time role, Chelsea lost 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend ahead of Wednesday's Champions League fixture at Real Madrid.

Nevertheless, according to UOL, Chelsea are instead making progress in discussions with former River Plate boss Gallardo.

The 47-year-old is currently waiting to take on his next challenge after ending a trophy-laden spell with the Argentine outfit last year.

Gallardo won as many as 14 pieces of silverware with River Plate, including the 2021 Argentine Primeira Division, but he now holds the desire to work in Europe.

His preference is to wait until the summer to take on a new project, something which now fits in with Chelsea courtesy of their reunion with Lampard.

Furthermore, it is claimed that Enzo Fernandez has given his blessing for Gallardo to move to Stamford Bridge having previously worked with him at Estadio Mas Monumental.

The pair are said to have shared a 'father-son' relationship before Fernandez made the switch to Benfica in July, the midfielder having made 51 appearances in the first team.

With Fernandez being Chelsea's club-record signing, keeping the World Cup winner happy may be desirable for the club's owners should they miss out on Champions League qualification.

Gallardo was linked with a switch to Southampton and Leeds United earlier this season, only for neither move to materialise. body check tags ::