Chelsea will pay Graham Potter’s £16 million release clause to take him from Brighton, the UK Metro reports.

Potter has emerged as one of the favourites to replace Thomas Tuchel as manager at Stamford Bridge.

It is believed Brighton have permitted Chelsea to speak with their head coach.

However, Potter can be snapped up for £16m due to a release clause in his contract with the Seagulls.

Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday morning after a disappointing start to the season.

On Tuesday night, the Blues suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

Brighton are currently in fourth position on the league table and ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League.

Potter has been in charge of Brighton since May 2019 and has won a lot of plaudits for the style of play he has implemented and the clear improvement in the team under his stewardship.