Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich fails to persuade Guus Hiddink to return – report

Guus Hiddink, Turkey manager (Getty Images)

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Chelsea manager could be set to keep his job after Roman Abramovich failed in an attempt to persuade Guus Hiddink to return to Stamford Bridge.

Despite still being in the hunt for the Premier League title it is believed the club are actively searching for a replacement manager, with Hiddink, Marco Van Basten and Andre Villas-Boas all thought to be in Abramovich’s thoughts, according to The Telegraph.

Hiddink is known to be Abramovich’s first choice to take the reins at Chelsea, though the Dutch coach is currently in charge of the Turkish national side and is famously loyal to his contracts.

The 64-year-old has indicated he will not break his current contract – a similar situation to when he took control of Chelsea for a short period after the sacking of Felipe Scolari. Hiddink was at the time in charge of the Russian national side and was not prepared to relinquish that role in order to take over at Chelsea on a full-time basis.

Ancelotti has seen speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge rife this season after failing to win the Champions League – a trophy so coveted by the Chelsea owner.

Abramovich is reportedly set for a summer shake-up with Ancelotti set to be replaced whilst Avram Grant could be set for a shock return to the club as sporting director, as exclusively revealed by Goal.com yesterday.