De Zerbi’s Chelsea hint after ‘DIRECT CONTACT’ made

Robin Bairner

• 25 Mar 2024 11:04 GMT
• 3 min read

Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi is arguably the most in-demand manager in football, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United just three of the clubs interested in plundering the Seagulls for the Italian in the summer.

Competition for the 44-year-old is fierce, though. Indeed, the Premier League clubs face a very real threat from elsewhere as they battle to secure the services of the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss.

According to Sport Bild, Bayern Munich have already instigated direct contact with De Zerbi. FCB hope to persuade him to replace Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena when the ex-Chelsea and PSG manager steps down at the end of the season.

It appears, though, that De Zerbi is not sold on the idea. The report from Germany indicates that although he is “flattered and fascinated” by the prospect of a move, he wants to keep his options open to understand what might be the best option for him.

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De Zerbi's preference clear

This hints that holds a preference for Manchester United or Chelsea.

If Liverpool were seriously interested in luring him to Anfield, they would likely have instigated talks given that it has been two months since Jurgen Klopp announced that he is standing down from the Merseyside outfit.

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Man Utd and Chelsea, though, are likely to have been more reticent in rushing into a move.

Both clubs presently have managers in place, neither of whom is guaranteed to leave in the summer.

FootballTransfers understands that Man Utd have made Thomas Frank their No.1 option to replace Erik ten Hag should he be sacked at the end of the season. There is no reason to believe the door is shut to De Zerbi, though.

Equally, Mauricio Pochettino’s place on the Chelsea bench looks in doubt. The Argentine has been unable to make the strides forward at Stamford Bridge that were expected and he could well leave at the end of the campaign.

De Zerbi would be a logical appointment given the Blues’ links with Chelsea.

If Bayern was the job that he really wanted, there would be no reason to hesitate now. The fact that he has, suggests that he prefers Man Utd or Chelsea.