Grant’s future at West Ham United will be reviewed at the end of this season and even if he avoids relegation it is understood that it is far from certain he will stay despite signing a four-year deal last June.
West Ham, who came close to sacking Grant and replacing him with Martin O’Neill in January, may decide that a parting of the ways is best for everyone given the difficulties of this campaign.
Returning to Chelsea – who offered Grant a job after he left Portsmouth last year – would allow the 56 year-old to remain in English football.
With the future of manager Carlo Ancelotti also in doubt, Chelsea are considering a number of options as to how the club will be run after the end of this season. Grant is not in the running to become the next manager.
The impending departure of sporting director Frank Arnesen and Lee Congerton, who was effectively his deputy, to Hamburg, means that Chelsea have to undergo a reorganisation which will be directly overseen by owner Roman Abramovich.
Congerton, the head of scouting, had been groomed as Arnesen’s successor at Chelsea while two other senior associates of Arnesen, Hans Gilhaus and Guy Hilion, are also leaving.
Chelsea are already pushing to appoint Steve Rowley as their new chief scout, although it is understood he would prefer to remain at Arsenal, while there will be an enhanced role for the highly-rated performance director Mike Forde.
Guus Hiddink is also on Chelsea’s radar. He has endured a troubled time as the coach of Turkey although he has already made it clear he has no interest in returning to manage the club he took control of on a temporary basis after the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
He might, however, consider the director of football role although it appears increasingly likely Chelsea will turn to Grant first if they are to make an appointment at all. It could be that the job is not offered to anyone as Chelsea review their options.
The club is in no hurry. That is because part of Abramovich’s thinking — as revealed by Telegraph Sport — is that the Russian billionaire wants to take a more hands-on approach, for now at least.
He involved himself directly with the January signings of Fernando Torres and David Luiz and is also desperate for Chelsea to promote more young talent through its academy.
Abramovich, according to sources, has felt things have been too “cosy” at Chelsea with Ancelotti and Arnesen enjoying a close relationship. That sense of frustration was partly responsible for Abramovich sacking assistant manager Ray Wilkins and replacing him with Michael Emenalo.
Emenalo was brought to Chelsea by Grant during his brief time as manager and has quickly grown in influence at the club, where he is listened to by Abramovich. Ancelotti had little say in his appointment as his assistant. Emenalo appears underqualified for the job.
Grant’s possible arrival is not linked to Ancelotti’s future. The Italian has one more year on his contract after this season and having privately voiced his own unhappiness earlier in the campaign, after Wilkins was sacked, he has struggled as results turned bad.
Abramovich is understood to be undecided over Ancelotti’s future and is understood to have acknowledged privately to the manager that he has not given him as much support as he should have done. There is also an acknowledgement that Ancelotti deserves time having delivered a league and cup double last season.
Ancelotti felt under severe pressure before Tuesday’s league victory over Manchester United and there is a sense at the club, and from those close to the manager, that he is likely to leave.
He has already been linked to a return to Roma although he has also expressed a desire to stay in England.
On Thursday Ruggiero Rizzitelli, a former team-mate of Ancelotti at Roma, claimed: “I believe there are negotiations with Ancelotti and Roma already. The new owners are negotiating with Ancelotti.”
The Italian banking group, UniCredit, is currently in control of Roma and is in talks to sell to the Italian-American businessman Thomas Di Benedetto, who is also involved with the Boston Red Sox.
Di Benedetto has already promised he will invest heavily and that he will also appoint a permanent coach to succeed Vicenzo Montella, who was put in temporary charge after Claudio Ranieri’s resignation last month.
Di Benedetto would like Ancelotti as Ranieri’s replacement.
Interestingly Ranieri was Ancelotti’s guest at Chelsea’s training ground on Thursday, the first time the club’s former manager had visited the facility.