Report: Chelsea have already made contact with long-term managerial target

Chelsea fans have barely had any time to react to the news that Jose Mourinho has been sacked, and already we're moving on to discussing who will replace him at Stamford Bridge. It sounds as if the Blues will turn to old friend Guus Hiddink for the remainder of the campaign, but reports have already emerged suggesting that the club is looking elsewhere for a permanent solution.

According to The Daily Mail, the Blues have already reached out to Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone about a potential summer move, though they note that the Argentine remains unconvinced about taking the (very) hot seat at Chelsea. The Argentine has a £15 million buyout in his current contract, a sum that shouldn't be even the slightest bit cumbersome for the Blues board.

As a replacement, Simeone would make loads of sense, both from a tactical and personnel standpoint. The Blues have raided Simeone's squad several times during the past few seasons already, and have reportedly been looking at several of his other players as well. Combined with the fact that Simeone typically employs a style similar to the one favored by Jose Mourinho, and we've got a long-term successor who would seem to be able to step in and get results from day one, with the squad already assembled.

There will obviously be plenty of other managers linked to the Chelsea job over the next several months, but Simeone will probably continue to be the frontrunner unless he eventually rules the Blues out.