Chelsea are understood to be meeting Graham Potter this afternoon with a view to appointing him as their new head coach.
Brighton are believed to have granted permission for official talks to take place between Chelsea and Potter after the west London club indicated their readiness to pay his release clause.
The 47-year-old also gave his blessing to discussions taking place.
Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning after 21 months in charge. The squad were unaware of his departure until it was confirmed by the club, with training pushed back until the afternoon.
Potter has been at Brighton since 2019, having joined from Swansea City. The south coast club sit fourth in the Premier League table.
Mauricio Pochettino was also approached by Chelsea and is thought to be among the other options. Unlike Potter, Pochettino is out of work, and it is thought the former Paris Saint-Germain manager would be open to the possibility of replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, as he did at the Parc des Princes.
Tuchel, 49, left Stamford Bridge just seven matches into the season, following a 1-0 defeat by Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Tuchel was appointed by Chelsea in January 2021 and had an immediate impact, winning the Champions League in his first season at the club.
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