Chelsea directors have held face-to-face talks with former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann as the Blues step up search for a new manager, according to Sky Sports via Daily Mail.

Nagelsmann was sacked as Bayern Munich boss last month after just under two years in the role and replaced by ex-Blues manager Thomas Tuchel.

Nagelsmann – who is reportedly keen to manage in the Premier League – had a meeting Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley in Germany at the end of last week.

Stewart and technical director Chris Vivell worked with the German while he was at RB Leipzig, with Nagelsmann impressing there before moving onto Bayern in the summer of 2021.

Stewart and Winstanley are leading the search for a new boss, but any final decision will have to be ratified by co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.