Frank Lampard will be sacked as Chelsea head coach on Monday, according to widespread reports.
It is said former Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel will take charge at Stamford Bridge just a month after leaving the Ligue 1 champions.
Confirmation of Lampard's departure is seemingly set to follow a run of two wins in eight Premier League games.
The Blues' record goalscorer was appointed in July 2019 and led them to a fourth-place finish and the FA Cup final in his debut campaign as a top-flight coach.
Chelsea invested heavily ahead of the 2020-21 season and were top of the table at the start of December.
But a dreadful run has seen Chelsea slide down to ninth, 11 points off the pace, reportedly costing club great Lampard his job the day after a 3-1 FA Cup win against Luton Town.
Lampard's failure to get the best out of an expensively assembled side appeared to heavily contribute to his demise.
Timo Werner continued his miserable run of form with a penalty miss against Luton, his only goal since November having come in the previous round of the cup at home to Morecambe.
Germany colleague Kai Havertz has netted only once in the Premier League, with his most recent three starts in the competition all coming in defeats.
Havertz was in the line-up at Everton when Chelsea, top after beating Leeds United in their first match in December, went down 1-0.
A late defeat at Wolves followed and victory over West Ham could not arrest the slump, as struggling rivals Arsenal eased past the Blues on Boxing Day.
Held by Aston Villa, Chelsea were then outclassed by Manchester City before a narrow win at relegation-battling Fulham eased the pressure only slightly.
Defeat at Leicester City - Premier League contenders while Chelsea flounder - was apparently the final straw, despite progress in the cup.
In Tuchel, a compatriot of Werner and Havertz, Chelsea would bring in a coach who won consecutive titles in France and also guided PSG to last season's Champions League final.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss looks to have been preferred to Massimiliano Allegri and ex-Chelsea coach Rafael Benitez.
Icing on the cake – Al Nassr celebrate Ronaldo's record-setting Portugal cap
Al Nassr celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking Portugal appearance in style.
Given his impeccable commitment to athleticism, Ronaldo might not have dug into the cake he was presented with on Friday.
Al Nassr were celebrating the 38-year-old becoming the most-capped men's player of all time.
Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for Portugal on March 23, scoring twice in a 4-0 defeat of Liechtenstein.
Along with marking that achievement, Al Nassr also celebrated Abdulrahman Ghareeb's 25th birthday.
"Today, we celebrate a record and birthday," the club tweeted. "The record of most capped player in international football [and] the birthday of a talented Saudi player."
Barry's move from Chelsea to Bayern faces delay due to potential Champions league tie
Graham Potter confirmed that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are in talks over assistant coach Anthony Barry.
However, a potential switch from London to Munich might well be delayed until a potential Champions League meeting between the sides.
Thomas Tuchel, who was appointed as Bayern coach after the sacking of Julian Nagelsmann last week, worked with Barry during his time at Chelsea and is keen to get the 36-year-old on his staff.
Barry is away from the Chelsea training ground while negotiations take place but Potter hinted that any agreement may be delayed until after a potential semi-final Champions League clash.
"Obviously that delay is something I'm pretty sure is in the conversation for obvious reasons," Potter said at a press conference on Friday.
"I have spoken to Anthony, he's someone I respect a lot and he's given everything for Chelsea. I understand that people have aspirations and it's about respecting that.
"He's away from us for the moment. It's between the clubs, it's not something I get involved in.
"I have huge respect for what he's done, here. He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic person."
Chelsea face reigning champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, as they did last year, but could be tasked with a semi-final face-off with former boss Tuchel if Bayern beat Manchester City.
Speaking to reporters in Germany on Friday, Tuchel was positive about the move for Barry.
"It's a matter between the clubs. It's still my absolute wish for him to come. The clubs have to reach an agreement. But I'm optimistic," he said.
Tuchel impressed by Bayern energy as Klassiker kick-starts 'weeks of truth'
Thomas Tuchel believes there is a positive energy around Bayern Munich as they begin the season's "weeks of truth" with Saturday's Klassiker against title rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena during the international break, with Bayern trailing BVB by one point and at risk of missing out on an 11th successive Bundesliga title.
The first game of the former Champions League winner's reign pits him against the club he led between 2015 and 2017, winning the DFB-Pokal in his second season at the helm.
Despite enjoying limited time on the training ground with his new players, Tuchel believes Bayern are raring to go in their hunt for three major trophies.
"Today was the first training session with everyone. I feel positive energy and great anticipation. We are very aware of the importance of the game," Tuchel said on Friday.
"These are the weeks of truth at FC Bayern and now it's about titles. Normally Bayern can focus a little more on the Champions League at this stage of the season because they already have a lead in the Bundesliga.
"That's not the case this year and that's why every game counts now. When you arrive at Bayern in April and still are in all competitions, you'll be fighting for all three titles.
"Of course, the quality and performance of the team should be right and should improve, but in the end it's about the titles."
Nagelsmann's exit came amid suggestions all was not right behind the scenes in Munich, but several members of the 35-year-old's backroom team will remain in place under Tuchel.
Denying he had been in contact with Nagelsmann, Tuchel said: "I want to gather my own impressions.
"Some people went with Nagelsmann and some stayed, but I don't see why working with me shouldn't work.
"I would like to form my own opinions and then draw my own conclusions from them. But the impressions have been very positive in all departments.
"Eat, sleep, work and repeat are the keywords. It feels like it has been a month's work and I have been pretty tired every day, but it's still good."
Nagelsmann's dismissal came as a surprise to several Bayern players, with midfielder Joshua Kimmich describing him as an "outstanding" coach while on international duty with Germany.
Asked about those comments, Tuchel said: "His disappointment is understandable. It's not a problem to have a close relationship with a coach.
"Joshua is a player who embodies Bayern. He is a very important player. It's a gift to work with players like that. Most of the time, players' feedback is welcome.
"Along with Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, he is a very important player. I didn't feel any reservations [from them]."
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