By Matt Hardy
Chelsea have set their sights on signing Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca to succeed the departed Mauricio Pochettino with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna no longer in the running.
The Blues parted ways with their Argentinian coach after just one season at Stamford Bridge, citing mutual consent.
And in the days that followed that departure, Maresca and McKenna featured on a list of candidates alongside the recently departed Brighton and Hove Albion coach Roberto de Zerbi and Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
But 44-year-old Maresca, once an assistant manager of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, is favourite for the job having taken the Foxes straight back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Leicester are reportedly seeking up to £10m in compensation for the Italian.
I am very happy to take this step and the responsibility of leading this club
It comes amid a number of confirmed or potential vacancies across football including Brighton, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.
Elsewhere in the sphere of Premier League managers, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has signed a new deal to remain in the West Midlands.
The Spaniard sensationally led his club to Champions League qualification in the 2023-24 season and has signed on for five more years at Villa Park.
“I am very happy to take this step and the responsibility of leading this club,” Emery said.
“Since I came to Villa with Wes [Edens, co-owner] and Nassef [Sawiris, chair] we found always the best environment and structure to develop a project with the highest ambition.
“All the football structure… we share the same vision and same goals.
“There’s a great chemistry in Aston Villa. And the element of the fans’ support also makes the difference to feel like home. We are really excited to continue this journey with no limits to our dreams.”
