Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna leads bid for Brighton job as Bayern Munich eyes Roberto De Zerbi after shock announcement

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is one of the leading candidates to replace Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, talkSPORT understands.

The Seagulls announced on the eve of the final day of the Premier League season that their match against manchester united It will be De Zerbi's last on the bench.

After two years at the helm of the south coast club, Brighton and the Italian coach have mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to last until 2026.

The decision comes amid intense speculation over De Zerbi's future, with several European giants interested in having him as their next boss.

AC Milan, where De Zerbi began his professional playing career, is one of the teams interested in taking the 44-year-old back to his homeland.

But talkSPORT understands Bayern Munich They are also interested in offering De Zerbi an immediate return to management as they look to replace Thomas Tuchel at the helm after finishing third in the Bundesliga.

For Brighton, it means he is back to the drawing board after seeing other clubs turn their heads to another great manager.

Owner Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber will have their work cut out for them to find their next manager who will follow in the footsteps of De Zerbi and Graham Potter, having punched well above their weight in the top flight in recent seasons.

According to talkSPORT sources, McKenna has become the club's priority signing after guiding Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

The 38-year-old is also understood to be interested in the possibility of taking charge at the Amex Stadium after two and a half successful years in charge of Ipswich, his first senior management role.

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While the news of De Zerbi's departure came as a big surprise on the eve of the final day of the campaign, it appears that Brighton already have a plan to replace the manager, with Barber told talkSPORT in November The club was 'prepared' for the eventuality of the Italian leaving his position.

“Competitors will always look at good players and good staff, and we're prepared for that, we're realistic about it and we try to plan for those eventualities,” Barber told talkSPORT football correspondent Ben Jacobs at the Soccerex 2023 event. in Miami.

“The biggest enigma of our model is that the better we do it, the more vulnerable we become, because people look at what we are doing, how we are doing it, the people who do it for us, and they love them.

“But I take it as a great complement to the progress we are making and it is up to me to make sure we have succession plans in place to manage and overcome those obstacles along the way.

“At the end of the day, all football clubs will lose players and staff at some point, we just need to make sure we are ready and prepared for when it happens to us.”

Asked if Brighton already have a replacement in mind should a big club come calling for De Zerbi, Barber said: “Absolutely.

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“That's part and parcel of looking at our club's top 20 or 25 positions all the time and identifying who is vulnerable to being taken over by someone else or who just wants a change in their lifestyle and making sure we know, if that were to happen , who would do it.” They will come to replace them.

“It could be an internal or external appointment, but the most important thing is that we have an idea of ​​who it would be.

“There is nothing worse than suddenly facing a change and then having a void because you haven't done your homework to consider who would replace that person. Preparation is essential.”