Jorge Sampaoli reveals how close he came to Chelsea job

Jorge Sampaoli: Snubbed by Chelsea

Jorge Sampaoli: Held talks with Chelsea

Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli has lifted the lid on the “negotiations” he held with Chelsea, prior to the Chilean taking his job in La Liga.

Sampaoli has led Sevilla to second place in La Liga while his side face Leicester in the last 16 of the Champions League; in contrast Chelsea’s choice of Antonio Conte has coached the Blues into pole position in the title race.

Speaking about Chelsea’s interest in him, Sampaoli told radio station Onda Cero: “There were a lot of teams interested but the call came from Monchi and for us it was very interesting and exciting, we were also in negotiations with Chelsea.

“Sevilla is an amazing city, with a lot of passion and interest in football and when I am in the stadium: the hymn, the songs of the fans…it is incredible.”

Things are certainly going well for Sampaoli at Sevilla, who are just one point away from leaders Real Madrid.

“We will fight for the league title with what we have,” said Sampaoli.

“I wanted originally to reach beyond the fifth or sixth place and I wanted a level of rebellion and fight to appear in the players to get higher positions.

“You always have to have a dream, you have to reinvent yourself constantly to maintain the illusion.”