Laurent Blanc Reportedly Top Choice for Chelsea Job, Avram Grant Back-Up Option

Chelsea will reportedly chase Laurent Blanc as their "prime candidate" to replace Antonio Conte at the club's helm and are also said to have former boss Avram Grant lined up as an emergency option. 

Blanc, who hasn't managed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, recently emerged as a new candidate, with speculation picking up speed after Chelsea missed the deadline to pay Maurizio Sarri's release clause, per Sami Mokbel and Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail.

The club's priorities appear to have changed after owner Roman Abramovich wasn't permitted to renew his UK visa and delayed plans on their new 60,000-seater stadium, with his future in the United Kingdom said to be in doubt.

The Guardian's Dominic Fifield reported Chelsea informed Sarri—under contract with Napoli until 2020 but no longer in charge after parting of ways with the club at the end of the season—they won't pay his €8 million (£7 million) exit clause, which expired on Thursday. Meanwhile, commentator Adam Summerton questioned the transition to Blanc as a managerial target:

Blanc would be a lot cheaper considering he hasn't held a managerial position since leaving the Parc des Princes two years ago, while Grant is at the helm of NorthEast United in the Indian Super League.

The Israeli tactician is described as "a key member of Abramovich's inner sanctum." The Daily Mail's Charlie Skillen suggested such an appointment would not signal a progressive move:

Grant previously managed Chelsea for a little under a single season and took the team to the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League final. They didn't lose a home game during his tenure. 

But his time at the club was seen as a stopgap after Jose Mourinho left in September 2007, with Grant moving from his role of director of football into the manager's hot seat. Sarri, on the other hand, has been linked with a move to west London for several months as Chelsea's second successive managerial appointment from Italy.

Fifield suggested Chelsea are exploring legal routes to get the Italian out of his contract in Naples, where Napoli have since appointed Carlo Ancelotti as Sarri's successor.

But Blanc is suggested as a top pick in any event after Chelsea are said to have discovered things about Sarri's past, including a touchline exchange with now-Italy boss Roberto Mancini comprising homophobic slurs.

One thing that looks certain is that Conte will leave Stamford Bridge after two years at the club this summer. It appears only an almighty turnaround would see his situation rescued.

Amid the chaos at the club, ESPN's Alex Shaw broke down the general happenings at Chelsea as they put plans in place to improve upon last season's fifth-placed Premier League finish:

Abramovich's plans to renovate Chelsea's stadium are on hold, as the Russian is said to be unsure of funding such capital into a city "that has suddenly made him feel so unwelcome."

That could affect this summer's search for a manager and signal the second coming of Grant should their pursuit of ex-PSG coach Blanc fail to bear fruit.