Julian Nagelsmann will reportedly not become the next head coach of Chelsea, despite emerging as favourite for the position.
Last month, Bayern Munich took the surprising decision to part ways with the 35-year-old, who had guided the club to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Sitting one point adrift of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund played its part in Nagelsmann's dismissal, yet the German has remained as one of the most highly-regarded managers in Europe.
In the days after Nagelsmann's exit from the Allianz Arena, Chelsea sacked Graham Potter, inevitably leading to links between himself and the Blues.
When it emerged earlier this week that Luis Enrique was now only viewed as an outsider to make the switch to Stamford Bridge, Nagelsmann became the bookmakers' favourite.
With formal talks said to have been held between the relevant parties and Nagelsmann being familiar with some of Chelsea's most notable staff, a move to West London appeared to be more likely than not.
Instead, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano says that Nagelsmann has withdrawn from the race to become the latest incumbent of the lead role in the Chelsea dugout.
Romano claims that the decision appears to be solely that of Nagelsmann, who he says held "multiple rounds of talks" with Chelsea's powers-that-be.
Nagelsmann is now expected to be more strongly courted by the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain, who are in the market for new managers.
From Chelsea's perspective, they must now contemplate other options with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino now said to be near the top of the shortlist.
Frank Lampard is currently at the helm on a caretaker basis, but the club legend has recorded four defeats in a row, two of those losses coming to Real Madrid.
Chelsea are highly likely to miss out on European football for next season as they sit 10 points adrift of seventh place in the Premier League standings.
Whoever becomes the next head coach will also have to oversee a wide array of exits as Chelsea take action when it comes to bolstering their position with FFP, one which has taken a hit due to recently-announced £121m losses and having spent over £600m across two transfer windows. body check tags ::
