Enzo Maresca will be Chelsea's new manager! Pep Guardiola's former assistant agrees shock five-year contract at Stamford Bridge after guiding Leicester back to Premier League

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have reached an agreement to make Maresca their new head coach, and he's now set to replace Mauricio Pochettino on a long-term contract. The Blues will also have the option to extend Maresca's stay by an extra year, which means he could potentially be in the Stamford Bridge dugout until 2030.

Leicester are set to be paid a compensation fee by Chelsea as they bid farewell to Maresca after just one season, which saw the Italian mastermind their immediate return to the Premier League as Championship winners. Maresca had previously worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City and stuck to a similar tactical blueprint to his old mentor with the Foxes, who finished their Championship campaign with a whopping 97 points.

The Evening Standard has reported that Chelsea quickly identified Maresca as their No.1 target after parting ways with Pochettino last week, despite links with several other managers, including Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna and departing Barcelona boss Xavi. The report adds that Maresca won Chelsea over with his plan to help their club record signing Enzo Fernandez unlock his full potential after his frustrating start to life in west London.

Chelsea are expected to make Maresca's arrival official in the coming days, and he will inherit a squad that managed to finish sixth in the Premier League, earning a Europa Conference League spot in the process. The 44-year-old will be on the touchline when the Blues head to the United States for their pre-season tour, with games against Wrexham, Celtic, Club America, Man City and Real Madrid already pencilled in.