Shevchenko keeps Ancelotti at top of Chelsea targets

Andrei Shevchenko has become an important figure in the recruitment of the next Chelsea manager and is believed to be one of the driving forces behind the club owner Roman Abramovich's continued interest in hiring Milan's Carlo Ancelotti.

The 31-year-old striker is one of several people Abramovich has consulted over the recruitment of a new coach and is understood to have urged him to carry on with his pursuit of the man he played under at Milan, despite being rebuffed last week.

Originally Abramovich had only intended to speak to Ancelotti to ask him his opinion on who he should appoint but, under the advice of Shevchenko among others, he decided to offer the 48-year-old the post.

Milan remain bullish that Ancelotti will stay with them and sources claim it is "incredibly difficult" to make anyone leave the club if they don't want to sell – as Chelsea, ironically, found out in their long pursuit of Shevchenko.

Given the peripheral role the Ukrainian has played at Stamford Bridge – he fell out with Jose Mourinho and played only a minor part in Avram Grant's time at the club – it is a remarkable testimony to the admiration Abramovich has for him that he has been consulted over the next manager.

Approaching Ancelotti – chief executive Peter Kenyon returned to Italy at the weekend although that may also have been to do with Didier Drogba's proposed transfer to Milan – has caused tension at Chelsea as some senior figures believe the club should be concentrating fully on other targets.

Milan are interested in taking Shevchenko back but Chelsea – having spent £31m on the striker two years ago – would only be interested if they offered a transfer fee which is currently not part of the proposed deal.

Many at Chelsea are urging him to appoint Luiz Felipe Scolari and it is significant that the Russian has been spending time in Switzerland where the Portuguese are based for Euro 2008. Scolari has also allowed the agent Jorge Mendes free rein of the team hotel in Neuchatel.

Scolari has the public backing of Chelsea's Portuguese players – Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira – and would not have a problem working under the conditions that Abramovich is proposing for the new manager. He wants someone who can explain team selections to him and have an open dialogue as well as a charismatic, disciplinarian coach.