Jose Mourinho made it clear that he had no interest in a third spell at Chelsea after the AS Roma head coach was approached to discuss a shock return to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have endured a rotten season and currently have former boss Frank Lampard in place as caretaker manager after dispensing with the services of both Thomas Tuchel and his successor, Graham Potter.
Former Tottenham chief Mauricio Pochettino is now believed to be closing in on the Chelsea vacancy following positive talks with Blues co-owner Todd Boehly. However, fresh reports from Italy have claimed that the Londoners also reached out to one of their most decorated former managers for discussions over their vacant head coach role.
According to Corriere dello Sport, via Football Italia, Mourinho was contacted by a Chelsea director who wanted to gauge his interest in a potential return to Stamford Bridge, where he enjoyed success on two previous occasions under Roman Abramovich. But Mourinho refused to participate in discussions over the vacancy and is instead seeking talks with AS Roma chief Dan Friedkin in a bid to clarify his long-term future.
After a disappointing spell at Tottenham, Mourinho has rebuilt his reputation in Italy with Roma, who are currently sixth in Serie A but just four points behind second-placed Lazio. Mourinho has also guided Roma to the Europa League semi-finals after winning the Europa Conference League last year.
Mourinho is still a popular figure at Chelsea after guiding the Londoners to three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup triumph across two successful spells at the club.
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The esteemed coach also had successful spells at Real Madrid and Inter Milan before returning to England to boss Manchester United and Tottenham in recent years. His current contract with Roma runs until the summer of 2024, but there has been interest in his services amid links with a return to Los Blanco and a move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in recent months.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are expected to press ahead with plans to name Pochettino as their new head coach after holding constructive talks with the highly-rated Argentine, who has been unattached since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
If Pochettino and Chelsea can finalise an agreement, it is believed Lampard will see out the rest of the season in his interim role, with Pochettino taking charge from the summer.
The Blues are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League after losing all five of their games since Lampard return to the helm. Chelsea face Arsenal in a crunch London derby on Tuesday night at the Emirates after losing 2-1 against Brentford last week.
