Chelsea are nearing the appointment of Liam Rosenior as their new head coach after the 41-year-old arrived in London on Sunday following Strasbourg's goalless draw at Nice, sources told ESPN.

Rosenior is Chelsea's preferred candidate to replace Enzo Maresca, who was dismissed on Thursday. The manager flew to London with Strasbourg president Marc Keller and sporting director David Weir to accelerate discussions.

A deal has not been finalized, but sources indicate the situation could progress quickly. A formal announcement may come within days, potentially before Chelsea's Wednesday fixture at Fulham.

Strasbourg's position within the same BlueCo ownership group as Chelsea is expected to facilitate the process. BlueCo completed their takeover of the Blues in 2022 and subsequently acquired the French club.

Under-21s boss Calum McFarlane managed Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Sunday after stepping up for his first senior game. Enzo Fernández scored a 94th-minute equalizer to cancel out Tijjani Reijnders' opener.

"Unless I'm told otherwise this evening, I'll be taking that session," McFarlane said when asked about Monday's training. "There's a chance that the new manager would be in on Monday, that's what I was told originally."

Former Bournemouth and Wolves manager Gary O'Neill is among three candidates to replace Rosenior at Strasbourg, sources told ESPN.

Chelsea faced additional challenges ahead of the City match, losing defender Wesley Fofana to a virus and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to a muscular problem. McFarlane praised the squad's resilience during the turbulent period.