Luis Enrique in London for Chelsea talks after 'selling his vision'

Luis Enrique is already to London with his agent to hold more talks with Chelsea after impressing the club’s chiefs in initial discussions, according to reports. 

 The London club sacked Graham Potter on Sunday and have begun the search for a new manager, with Julian Nagelsmann and Enrique contacted about taking over. 

 More coaches were expected to be spoken to over the next 48 hours – including the likes of Pochettino and Ruben Amorim – while there were reports Frank Lampard could be placed in caretaker charge before a permanent manager is appointed in the summer. 

  But Chelsea do not appear to be hanging around and would like a new manager installed before next week’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg game with Real Madrid. 

 According to The Independent, Enrique – who is keen to take over now – is edging ahead as the favourite to succeed Potter and is en route to London to hold talks with the club’s hierarchy. 

 The 52-year-old – who is being joined by his agent, Ivan De La Pena – impressed in initial discussions and is believed to have ‘successfully sold a clear vision for the team’. 

 Enrique feels his high-intensity, high-pressing approach fits the team Chelsea have assembled, while the Spaniard’s personality and gravitas fits the profile of manager Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali want. 

 There had been claims that technical director Christopher Vivell was pushing for Nagelsmann, who he worked with at RB Leipzig and has a good relationship with.

But, the manner in which the young German coach fell out with some of Bayern Munich’s players could count against him, with Boehly and Eghbali more drawn towards an experienced manager. 

 Enrique has that in abundance, having most recently been in charge of Spain national team before leaving after the World Cup, while he worked with some big names in football during his successful, treble-winning stint as Barcelona head coach. 

 Chelsea had been interested in Enrique in the past before the change of ownership but were put off by his wage demands and lack of English, though he has been working hard on the language since then and is eager to test himself in England. 

 ‘I would like to go to England to work,’ he said last week. ‘I would like to go to a team there that can do important things and that is very difficult. I would not go to any Premier League team. 

 ‘Since the World Cup ended, I haven’t read the Spanish press. I haven’t seen social networks, I only read the English press.’