Chelsea are hoping the lure of a London lifestyle could be their trump card as they prepare a massive financial package to beat Manchester City to Pep Guardiola.

Roman Abramovich is refusing to give up on Guardiola – who walked away from a deal to move to Chelsea in 2012 – after he confirmed that he is leaving Bayern Munich.

City are favourites to land the 44-year-old Spaniard, but Chelsea’s billionaire owner is not only willing to make him the world’s highest paid manager but also to fund a massive overhaul of the playing staff.

Chelsea are hopeful they will be able to lure current Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola to Stamford Bridge

Guardiola confirmed he is leaving Bayern and the Premier League champions are keen to secure his services

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will give Guardiola funds to mastermind an overhaul of the playing squad

He is determined to make a statement following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho – the most successful manager in Chelsea history – by landing the biggest name of all.

But they know it will not only be cash that makes the difference and they believe that Guardiola’s wife Cristina Serra has a preference to live in the capital when they leave Munich at the end of his contract with the German club.

Chelsea’s owner, who was paying Jose Mourinho £250,000 a week (£12million a year) before his dismissal last Thursday, is throwing money at Guardiola in an attempt to convince him to turn his back on Manchester City.

Guardiola has already assessed Chelsea’s squad and has indicated that the defending champions, 15th in the Premier League, will need to sign 10 new players.

Jose Mourinho, sacked by Chelsea on Thursday, attended Brighton’s defeat by Middlesbrough two days later

Guus Hiddink has been brought back to Stamford Bridge to take charge of the Blues for a second spell

Chelsea believe Guardiola’s wife Cristina, pictured at Oktoberfest this year, has a preference to live in London

Abramovich made a previous attempt to lure the former Barcelona manager to Stamford Bridge during his year-long sabbatical in New York after quitting the Nou Camp in 2012.

Guardiola had given his word that he would move to Chelsea after they had won the Champions League under Roberto Di Matteo, but he pulled out of the deal when the Italian was sacked.

Di Matteo was fired just six months after landing the European Cup after he replaced Andre Villa-Boas as Chelsea’s manager.

Guardiola told friends at the time that Chelsea was too volatile and instead decided to move to the Allianz Arena on a three-year contract in 2013. 

Guardiola told Chelsea that he would join the club after Roberto Di Matteo had won the Champions League

However, Guardiola pulled out of the move after Di Matteo was sacked, and became Bayern boss in 2013

Abramovich, along with his advisors, were furious at the time, but relations have thawed enough for Chelsea to make a renewed attempt to capture the world’s most wanted football coach.

Chelsea know that they have lost ground on Manchester City in the race to sign Guardiola, but the decision to fire Jose Mourinho just four months into a new four year deal has prompted a rethink.

Guardiola has long been coveted by City and the relationship between City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain is key to City’s seduction process.

The pair appointed promoted Guardiola when he was manager of Barcelona’s B in 2008 and he went on to win La Liga three times, the Champions League twice and the World Club Cup twice.

Following massive success with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Chelsea are desperate to land the Spaniard

Abramovich is putting pressure on his sporting director Michael Emenalo and Marina Granovskaia, who runs the day to day operation for Chelsea’s owner, to sway Guardiola.

Some of the alternatives being discussed at a senior level are Atletico Madrid’ s coach Diego Simeone and the outsider Massimilano Allegri.

Although they are both successful coaches, they do not come with Guardiola’s cache after his remarkable success with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Guardiola pours beer over David Alaba as Bayern Munich celebrate winning the Bundeliga title last May

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone have also been discussed

He has landed the Bundesliga titles in each of his first two seasons at Bayern, but the Champions League has eluded him so far.

Although there is widespread belief that Guardiola has signed a contract to join City next season, Chelsea are undeterred.

Guardiola told Bayern two weeks ago that he was leaving and the club’s chairman Karl Heinz-Rummenigge claims he already knows his destination.

Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (left) believes he knows where Guardiola will go

‘I think I know where he is going. But I want to leave the announcement to him or his new employer.

‘At the Christmas party two weeks ago he came to me, he told me that he was looking for a new challenge and almost apologised.

‘It was clearly difficult for him, I’m not disappointed in him.’