Chelsea reportedly want to appoint a new permanent manager within the next 10 days.
Frank Lampard was named interim boss until the end of the season after Graham Potter was sacked earlier this month.
The Chelsea board placed Lampard in temporary charge to give them time to undertake their search for a new permanent head coach.
Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann were believed to be among the early contenders, but the pair have both fallen out of the running.
A recent report claimed that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has now emerged as the frontrunner.
Pochettino has been searching for a new job since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Chelsea are also considering a number of other candidates, including Burnley manager Vincent Kompany and ex-River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is another name that has been mooted as a potential option for the managerial vacancy.
Despite being linked with a number of different candidates, it appears that Chelsea want to find a resolution in the near future.
According to The Sun, the Chelsea hierarchy are hoping to have an agreement in place with a new manager in the next 10 days.
Lampard is still expected to continue until the end of the season, allowing the new coach to take over the reins in the summer.
Chelsea have experienced a difficult campaign and are set to miss out on European football with the Blues currently sitting in 11th position.
The West London club are winless in six competitive matches, with four of those games taking place under Lampard's watch.
Lampard will be hoping to claim the first win of his second spell as Chelsea manager in Wednesday's home meeting with Brentford. body check tags ::
