Mauricio Pochettino remains the favourite to become Chelsea's next manager. Sources have told football.london that there is still nothing to report regarding an imminent agreement between the Blues and Pochettino - despite a number of positive talks between the two parties.
Whilst no agreement has been reached yet, there is a confidence that a deal can be struck between both parties, football.london understands. With Pochettino firmly in the frame to become Graham Potter's successor, the Argentine has already given Chelsea the green light to hijack Manchester United's move for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
Chelsea have found the back of the net just 31 times in the Premier League this season, the fourth-worst record in the English top-flight ahead of Nottingham Forest, Everton and Southampton, who all currently find themselves in the relegation zone. The west Londoners are still not mathematically safe from relegation with just five games left to play this term.
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After Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have both struggled to find their shooting boots all season, it must now be a priority for the Blues to bring in a new world-class striker. One such option could be Inter Milan superstar Martinez - who has outperformed Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku this season.
The Argentina World Cup winner had been linked with a move to Tottenham during Pochettino's tenure at N17 and may be interested in following him to Stamford Bridge - if the 51-year-old is appointed as manager. Martinez has scored 23 goals and provided a further nine assists in 48 appearances across all competitions this term and has now been heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag is looking to sign a new striker this summer after United mutually agreed to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo's contract prior to the World Cup in Qatar. Wout Weghorst has failed to fill the void left by five-time Ballon d'Or winner, with United being linked with moves for the 25-year-old Inter star, Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani.
Pochettino has previously made it crystal clear that he is a great admirer of Martinez and he could look to hijack United's move for the Inter striker if he become Chelsea manager. The 51-year-old has hailed the Argentine striker as ‘one of the world’s best’ when speaking to Radio La Plata three years ago, as Pochettino said: "Lautaro Martinez is one of the best strikers in the world.
"It's not just for what he does now, but for what his potential means going forward. If you start looking at hitmen for the big clubs, clearly his name has to be in there."
Pochettino has already set a key demand of having influence over the recruitment strategy at Stamford Bridge if he is appointed ahead of next season. This could see the Blues make a move for Martinez and they could be able to use Lukaku as part of a potential deal.
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