Chelsea have reached an agreement on personal terms with Leicester City’s manager Enzo Maresca, bringing them a step nearer to appointing their new head coach, according to a report.
Maresca was swiftly added to the shortlist of candidates to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who parted ways with Chelsea by mutual consent at the season’s end, and by Monday, he emerged as the leading candidate.
Chelsea are eager to move quickly, and multiple reports, including one from Fabrizio Romano, indicate that a contract has already been agreed upon with Enzo Maresca, who has expressed his desire to manage at Stamford Bridge.
However, an agreement with Leicester City has not yet been reached. Maresca’s contract with the Championship winners includes a release clause of £9 million, a figure that increased following the Foxes’ title victory.
The interest in Maresca is reportedly driven by Chelsea’s sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. According to the Evening Standard, the pair have persuaded Chelsea’s co-owners to pursue the Spanish manager.
Maresca impressed Chelsea officials with his possession-based style, which propelled Leicester to the top of the Championship in his first season as manager.
Prior to joining Leicester, Maresca spent a year as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, following a successful season managing City’s Under-23 team.
Maresca also has experience as an assistant coach at Sevilla and West Ham United. His only previous senior management role before Leicester was with Parma, where he signed on in May 2021 but was dismissed after just 14 games, leading him to return to Manchester City.
In total, Maresca has overseen just 67 matches of senior football but now appears set for a huge jump up to the Chelsea job.
