Chelsea are reportedly monitoring Diego Simeone with a view to possibly bringing him in to replace Frank Lampard as manager next season.
Lampard has earned plaudits for how he has kept Chelsea in the top four despite their transfer ban last summer and his relative managerial experience.
But with the prospect of Simeone leaving Atlético after nine years in charge, Italian publication tuttomercatoweb reports that the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge are open to bringing the former Argentina international to West London.
Atlético have been unable to make the most of Barcelona and Real Madrid’s unusually inconsistent form this season.
Despite the two Clásico rivals’ troubles, Simeone’s men lie 12 points off the top of La Liga.
Saturday’s 2-2 result against Valencia was Atleti’s tenth draw of a disappointing league campaign.
And they face a tall order in the Champions League as they take on defending champions Liverpool in the Round of 16.
The Chelsea board have long been admirers of Simeone, but have had reservations about his lack of English and his devotion to the Atlético cause.
However, they may be willing to overlook his language limitations, especially in light of recent tensions with Lampard.
The former Blues midfielder was irked by his inability to add a striker in the January transfer window, and contrasted Chelsea’s inactivity to Manchester United’s capture of playmaker Bruno Fernandes from Sporting.
“Look at Manchester United signing a big, big player, a world class player in my opinion,” said Lampard, who also claimed Chelsea’s inertia left them as underdogs in the race for Champions League places.
