Rafael Benitez has reportedly left his media commitments in the Middle East to fly back to England amid speculation linking him with the manager's job at Premier League side Chelsea.

The former Liverpool manager had been due to work as a pundit for Sky News Arabia and attend a number of workshops with youngsters.

However, following the news that Roberto Di Matteo had been sacked as Chelsea boss by owner Roman Abramovich this morning, Benitez was instantly installed as the favourite to replace the Italian with numerous bookmakers.

Since then, Benitez has travelled to an airport near the Sky News Arabia's offices, according to the station's editor Ali El Garni.

El Garni went on to claim that Benitez's representatives had already held brief discussions with officials from Chelsea.