John Terry is reportedly being lined up as one of the potential replacements for Frank Lampard at Derby County, reports the Daily Mail.
The former Chelsea defender is currently assistant to Dean Smith at recently promoted Aston Villa, but would relish an opportunity to step up and become a first team manager elsewhere.
Lampard is expected to make the switch to Stamford Bridge within the coming weeks, after Maurizio Sarri's move to Juventus was confirmed yesterday.
The former Blues midfielder has proved himself in the managerial game, guiding Derby to the play-offs last term by finishing sixth.
The Rams narrowly missed out on a return to the top flight after losing the play-off final to Aston Villa at the end of May.
Lampard knows Chelsea inside out and would give youth a chance in west London, something few previous managers have ever done in the past.
With the ongoing transfer saga, which sees the Blues unable to sign anyone during the next two windows, the 40-year-old would be given more of a chance to get things right at Stamford Bridge.
Derby have not yet been officially approached by Chelsea for their manager, though it is expected the Blues will make contact within the next 48 hours.
It is understood that Lampard has already sat down with owner Roman Abramovich and talked about the length of his proposed contract and what plans he has for the club should he make a return.
A compensation package of around £4m is expected to be paid to Derby to release Lampard from his current contract at Pride Park. Chelsea have just received £5m from Juventus for Maurizio Sarri, however, so that won't prove too much of a problem.
Terry played alongside Lampard for over 10 years with both Chelsea and England and has impressed during his brief spell as a coach at Aston Villa, the club he turned out 32 times for right at the end of his distinguished career.
The 38-year-old has been praised for his excellent work at Villa Park, especially with the defenders at the West Midlands club.
Charlton's Lee Bowyer was another possible candidate to take over from Lampard, should he leave for Chelsea as expected.
The former Newcastle and Leeds United midfielder initially rejected a new contract at the Valley, but has today done a complete U-turn and signed a one-year extension at the south London outfit, who won the League One play-off final in dramatic style last month by beating Sunderland in the last minute.
John Eustace, who is currently assistant manager of Queens Park Rangers and spent two years playing for the Rams between 2013-2015, is another potential candidate for the job.
