Pep Guardiola has been linked with a move to defending English Premier League champions Chelsea as rumours continue that current manager Jose Mourinho could be sacked in the next few weeks.

Chelsea have had a disastrous start to their season so far, having just 11 points from the opening 10 games and having lost five times already, including twice at the previously impregnable Stamford Bridge.

The behaviour of their manager has been all the more worrying, with reports of unrest in the dressing room following the bus-up with former team physio Eva Carneiro also repeated questions about the quality of refereeing in the club’s matches. He was fined and handed a suspended ban earlier this month for claiming referees were afraid to give his team penalties, and last weekend, was sent off to the stands following a red card for midfielder Nemanja Matic against West Ham, with more punishment likely to follow.

ESPN claims from its sources that the club is beginning to consider a change of manager, but the compensation that will need to be paid is also a factor. They also claim the club will have to pay the Portuguese a whopping £30 million (AU $63.5 million) to leave the club, but if results don’t improve, owner Roman Abramovich may well consider it.

Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola has been linked, with his contract with the Bundesliga champions expiring at the end of the current season. He has so far refused to discuss whether he will stay at Bayern or move elsewhere next season, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all potential destinations in the Premier League.

"Please, it's October. I have to continue winning games, because that's what the fans want. I don't talk about it [the contract] every week," Guardiola said at a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s DFB-Pokal clash against Wolfsburg.

Carlo Ancelotti has also been mooted as a potential candidate, along with Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone. The latter, however, will not be available until the end of the season at the least.

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