Chelsea are ready to give Enzo Maresca a five-year deal after being granted permission to speak to the Leicester manager. Maresca, who is expected to agree to take the job, has emerged as the favoured candidate to succeed Mauricio Pochettino after an intense weekend of talks. Chelsea and Kieran McKenna, who is poised to snub Brighton and sign a new deal at Ipswich, cooled their interest in each other and the Stamford Bridge club have not moved forward with Brentford’s Thomas Frank. Senior figures have repeatedly played down suggestions of interest in Roberto De Zerbi and believe that Maresca’s heavy focus on possession will suit a squad full of technically gifted players. The intention to hand the 44-year-old a long-term deal is a contrast to the contract handed to Pochettino last summer. ­Pochettino, who left by mutual consent last week, signed a two-year deal with the option of an extra year. But Chelsea are determined to back Maresca, who is prepared to leave Leicester after ending his first season at the club by leading them back into the Premier League. The process has been led by the ­sporting ­directors, Paul Winstanley and ­Laurence ­Stewart. Chelsea will still need to agree compensation with ­Leicester, who will want around £10m to release their manager. Sources close to Maresca have also stressed the ­Italian has not been in a rush to leave the east Midlands club and could decide to stay if he has any late reservations about moving to west London. Chelsea met representatives of Frank last week and had been speaking to McKenna’s agents for several weeks. McKenna was seen by Brighton as a replacement for De Zerbi but the 38-year-old has decided to stay at Ipswich. After promotion to the top flight, Ipswich have displayed their ambition to stay up by offering ­McKenna a contract that will make him one of the highest-paid managers in England. Brighton are considering ­switching focus to a return for Graham Potter, their former mana­ger who has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023.