Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is looking to make a sensational return to Stamford Bridge after Enzo Maresca left the club on Thursday, according to reports.

There were rumours on Wednesday night and Thursday morning that Maresca was set to leave Chelseaafter his position at the club became untenable.

Maresca missed the Blues’ post-match press conference on Tuesday after they drew 2-2 against Bournemouth as he weighed up his options.

It is understood Maresca wanted to leave Chelsea while the Blues were willing to wait until the end of the season as they like to conduct their post-season evaluation.

However, Chelsea announced that they had ‘parted company’ with the Italian on Thursday afternoonin a statement released on the club’s official website.

The statement read: ‘Chelsea Football Club and Head Coach Enzo Maresca have parted company.

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‘During his time at the Club, Enzo led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Those achievements will remain an important part of the Club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the Club.

‘With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the Club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.

‘We wish Enzo well for the future.’

Since then there have been rumours about who could replace Maresca at Stamford Bridge with former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior one of the first names to be linked.

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The I Paperinsists thatcurrent Strasbourg head coach Rosenior is ‘among the early frontrunners to replace’ Maresca with the ex-Fulham and Reading full-back ‘identified as a potential long-term Chelsea boss and those plans could now accelerate’.

One well-known and reliable account on X also revealed that Chelsea have held ‘preliminary talks’ with Rosenior’s representatives.

The account said: ‘Exclusive. Wasserman is a sports marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles. Their representatives have met Chelsea FC officials for preliminary talks, we understand Wasserman represents Liam Rosenior, who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.’

While the same account reckons former Chelsea boss Mourinho– who won multiple trophies at Stamford Bridge– is keen on a return to west London.

They add: ‘Exclusive. José Mourinho wants to return as Chelsea FC manager and is ready to step in if asked. He sees Chelsea as his true love. The feeling at @ChelseaFC might not be mutual. They want a modern-day manager.’