Chelsea have identified Lyon's Sonia Bompastor as the preferred candidate to replace the outgoing Emma Hayes, sources have told ESPN.

Bompastor is under contract with the French champions until 2025 so Chelsea would have to pay a sizeable compensation fee to release her from her contract if terms are agreed.

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But she is top of Chelsea's wanted list as they look to life after Hayes, who will leave her post in charge of the club at the end of the season to take up the U.S. Women's National Team head coach position.

Hayes leaves big shoes to fill at Chelsea. She has transformed the side, steering them to six Women Super League titles since she took charge in 2012, alongside winning five FA Cups.

Bompastor won 156 caps for France and the the 2011 and 2012 Champions League titles as a player at Lyon. She joined the team's backroom staff in 2013 and took charge of the first team in 2021 after Jean-Luc Vasseur's departure.

In the 2021-22 campaign, she led Lyon to the league title and Champions League and then backed that up by steering Lyon to their second league in as many seasons last term.

But securing Bompastor's services won't be straightforward for Chelsea. She is still under contract for another 16 months, while Lyon were taken over earlier this month by American businesswoman Michele Kang who has already pledged to help Lyon become dominant in Europe again.