Luis Enrique agrees pre-contract with European giants amid interest from Chelsea: Reports
Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has reportedly agreed to a pre-contract with Atletico Madrid despite being linked with Chelsea's managerial vacancy.
According to El Nacional, Enrique has signed a pre-contract agreement with Atletico and is waiting to see if they part ways with Diego Simeone. It is believed that the Argentine coach could leave Wanda Metropolitano and head to Inter Milan.
However, Simeone remaining with Atleti for another season has not been ruled out. This would pave the way for Chelsea to make their move for the Spanish coach as he does not want to wait another season.
The Blues will bide their time until the summer to see if Enrique is available. They appointed former manager Frank Lampard as caretaker boss to see out the remainder of the season.
Enrique's chances of succeeding Simeone rest on how Los Colchoneros will perform for the rest of the campaign. They are currently in third in La Liga and have enjoyed an upturn in form since the turn of the year.
Meanwhile, the situation at Chelsea is an ominous one as they look increasingly likely to miss out on European football next season. The west London giants are 11th in the league, seven points off sixth, and 17 points off the top four.
Enrique is currently jobless after leaving his post as Spain's national team boss after their disappointing exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the last 16. He was a massive success at Barcelona before then, winning the Champions League and the La Liga title twice.
However, Enrique isn't the only candidate to become the permanent replacement for Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge. Former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is also on the Blues' radar, but co-owner Todd Boehly has reservations.
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger looking forward to 'special' encounter with former side Chelsea
Chelsea head to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (April 12) to face Real Madrid in the first-leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. It will be a special occasion for Rudiger, who left the Blues last summer as a free agent.
The German defender has spoken ahead of the clash and has expressed his excitement over facing his former employers. He told Marca:
“It will be a special game for me, of course. I have a lot of good memories from Chelsea, I won many titles there and I have many friends there."
However, Rudiger insists that once the game kicks off against the west Londoners, sentimental feelings will go out the window:
"But when I’m on the pitch, I don’t have any sentimental feelings. I’m a professional and I want to win with Real Madrid. I respect Chelsea, they are a great team with great players and a great coach, but I don’t have any mercy for them."