Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly may have jeopardised the club's pursuit of Julian Nagelsmann by making life difficult for Bayern Munich. The German giants would still be due compensation for Nagelsmann even though they sacked the 35-year-old, meaning it remains in Chelsea's best interests to keep relations sweet.
Drastic changes have taken place at both Bayern and Chelsea in recent weeks. The Bavarians sacked Nagelsmann and promptly replaced him with Thomas Tuchel, whose first two matches at the helm produced a handsome win and a surprise defeat.
The Blues, meanwhile, have sacked Graham Potter and replaced him with Frank Lampard on an interim basis. Meanwhile, the search for Potter's long-term successor continues behind the scenes, with a formal appointment expected in the summer.
Nagelsmann is thought to have plenty of admirers at Stamford Bridge, but despite Bayern wielding the axe last month, the nature of the dismissal reportedly means that they will be due compensation from whoever appoints him.
According to journalist Christian Falk, Chelsea's history of paying big money for managers - as they did with Potter - is likely to see Bayern demand a hefty sum. The German club could make things even more difficult for Boehly and co if they fail to get their hands on assistant coach Anthony Barry, with Tuchel keen to reunite at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern have supposedly made a six-figure bid to take Barry, who was given the green light to go by Potter before he was sacked. Now, Boehly has risked souring relations with Nagelsmann's former employers by 'saying no' to their opening bid.
With Chelsea in the bottom half of the Premier League heading into this weekend, Lampard faces an uphill battle to give his former club a fighting chance of getting into Europe next term. "I didn’t think I’d never be in this seat [again]," he told reporters this week. "I’m a confident guy.
"My job is to be as good a manager as I can be. It wasn’t in the first part of my mind. Unfinished business? I don’t quite see it like that. Unfinished business sounds a bit Hollywood. I want to work."