Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso are among the managers Chelsea are discussing as potential replacements for Liam Rosenior this summer.
Chelsea believe there will be a bigger pool of high-calibre managers available this summer than there were last time they appointed a manager between seasons.
When Enzo Maresca got the job in June 2024, Kieran McKenna was the other candidate on their shortlist and neither manager had Premier League experience at the time.
Chelsea now want someone with Premier League experience and/or someone with a proven track record at a high level.
Iraola has said he is leaving Bournemouth this summer, Alonso is out of work and Silva's Fulham contract runs out in two months.
Chelsea are not in a rush to make an appointment and Calum McFarlane will remain in charge until the end of the season.
Paul Merson doubts a 'top manager' will become the new Chelsea boss, with the next head coach 'grateful' to manage the club rather than the other way round.
Merson, who is a Chelsea fan, believes the days of the west London club appointing big-name managers, like Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, are over.
When asked who he would like to see given the Chelsea job, Merson told Your Site News: "I hear a few Newcastle fans about Eddie Howe being under pressure. I'd take Eddie Howe.
"My problem is at Chelsea now, and the way it is and the way it's all run is I think they'll always be getting a manager that's grateful to manage Chelsea. Instead of a top drawer [manager].
"I think the days of your Mourinhos, your (Antonio) Contes, your (Thomas) Tuchels, your Ancelottis, those top, top managers where the club are grateful for them being the manager of the club. I think now they'll be looking at managers who are grateful to come in and manage Chelsea because of the way they run the club and the way it is.
"(Andoni) Iraola at Bournemouth, very good manager, but these kind of managers will come, and they'll look, and they'll go, Chelsea have been outrun every single Premier League game this season. How do you turn that around? This is not an ageing football team. This is one of the youngest teams in the Premier League. So for them to get outrun in every single football match is worrying, so I think top, top managers will look at that and think there's a lot to be done.
"They need a couple of experienced players. There are a few players who shouldn't be there. They need players in.
"This is a big, big job and I'm not sure one of the big, big boys will take it."
