Graham Potter will be appointed Chelsea manager in the next 24 hours, ending his three-year spell with Brighton.
Potter, 47, spoke to Chelsea owner Todd Buhly on Wednesday night after Thomas Tuchel was sacked and agreed a verbal agreement with the club.
Potter was at Brighton’s training ground on Thursday morning but was not leading the team’s session.
Chelsea hope to name a new manager away from Fulham before Saturday’s game.
The club, currently sixth in the Premier League, have also held talks with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim about the vacant role.
Brighton are planning a press conference on Friday ahead of their trip to Bournemouth on Saturday, but it is unclear who will be speaking to the media.
Former Ostersunds FK and Swansea manager Potter guided Brighton to ninth place last season, the club’s highest ever top-flight finish.
A former full-back in the Football League with Stoke, West Brom and York, Potter began his managerial career with Ostersunds FK in 2010, guiding them from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the first, in 2017. Won the Swedish Cup and reached the knockout stage. Europa League stages
He then took charge of Swansea City in June 2018, spending one season with the Championship before joining Brighton following Chris Hughton’s sacking.
Potter, who has been tipped as a future England boss, has guided Brighton to fourth in the table this season after winning four, drawing one and losing one of their six Premier League games.
