Antonio Conte has admitted he may not be Chelsea head coach next season if the Blues fail to qualify for the Champions League, and the Stamford Bridge club have already identified their number one target to replace the Italian.
As reported by The Sun, the Blues want Mauricio Pochettino to take charge in West London, with Roman Abramovich extremely impressed by the 46-year-old Argentine.
Daniel Levy, the Tottenham owner, is expected to block any approach from Chelsea - or any club - for the highly rated Pochettino, who recently became the longest-serving Tottenham coach in terms of Premier League games managed.