Chelsea yet to speak to Mancini
Chelsea have yet to contact former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini about taking over from sacked Avram Grant.
Mancini, along with Blackburn's Mark Hughes and Luiz Felipe Scolari, is among the favourites to replace the ousted 53-year-old Israeli at Stamford Bridge.
But Chelsea are taking their time over the appointment and have yet to get in touch with Mancini, who left Inter on Tuesday.
Mancini has made no secret of his desire to coach a side capable of challenging for the UEFA Champions League crown and he would certainly get that opportunity with Chelsea.
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But his advisor, Maurizio de Giorgis, has made it clear no decision regarding Mancini's future has been made even though he was released by the Milan club.
'He had a meeting with the president (Massimo Moratti) and they decided not to continue with him, as of yesterday Roberto Mancini is not the coach of Inter Milan anymore,' de Giorgis told Sky Sports News.
'He is very disappointed of course, he was not expecting that to happen, but in football things can happen quickly and unexpectedly and this is one of those occasions.
'As of now there is no contact with Chelsea. Roberto Mancini is not a person or coach who likes to propose himself to a club, he waits for a club to look after him so we are in that position right now. We are not proposing Mancini to any club.
'It's a natural consequence of what has happened. Chelsea are one of the top five clubs in the world so it is more likely, if there will be any talk, there is more chance of it to happen now than before.
'There are chances but at the moment, as of today, there has been no official contact with Chelsea or any other team.'
Chelsea's ongoing search for a replacement for Grant is now concentrating on Mancini, Hughes and Scolari.
Their interest is believed to have cooled on former Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard while Russia coach Guus Hiddink has already ruled himself out of the running.
Former Chelsea player Didier Deschamps insists he is on the shortlist but the Blues, as expected, have made no official comment.
The interest in Hughes, a former Blues player, was greeted with approval by fans on Chelsea TV but Mancini's CV ticks all the major boxes for the English club.
Mancini's replacement at Inter Milan is expected to be Chelsea's former coach Jose Mourinho. The 'Special One' is expected to be unveiled in Milan on Friday and given a three-year deal.
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