Chelsea have started to sound out the representatives of some of their candidates in an attempt to ensure that they go after the right man who will not turn them down.

They will try to land Simeone from Atlético, with the Spanish club powerless to keep the Argentine if Chelsea meet his £15 million release clause. But with Atlético joint top of La Liga with Barcelona and Simeone as happy as he has ever been in Madrid, it remains to be seen whether he will be prepared to take on the challenge at Chelsea.

Simeone would want to overhaul the Chelsea squad and demand assurances that he, and not technical director Michael Emenalo, would have the final say over transfers.

Allegri led Juventus to the last season’s Champions League final and won a domestic double in Italy, and is contracted to the club until 2017. But the Italian is believed to be learning English in preparation for potentially moving to the Premier League.