Hiddink in Chelsea talks

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Hiddink admitted that he was contacted by the Barclays Premier League club after Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked on Monday.

The Dutchman is considering what would be a dual role - combining his responsibilities coaching the Russian national team with managing Chelsea, something he insists he would have rejected if the request had come from any other club.

He remains close friends with the club's owner Roman Abramovich and wants to help the Blues by taking on a caretaker role until the summer.

But Hiddink stressed there was no way he would be quitting as Russia boss because he remains committed to helping the nation reach the 2010 World Cup finals.

Russia have two World Cup qualifiers between now and the end of the season - Azerbaijan at home at the end of March and Liechtenstein away on April 1.

The Barclays Premier League shuts down for the duration of the international period and so Hiddink is capable of combining both roles until the summer.

The Dutchman has previous experience of such a position when he coached Australia and PSV Eindhoven simultaneously.

Chelsea want to make an appointment before the weekend but if they cannot agree a deal with Hiddink before then, they are happy for assistant coach Ray Wilkins and his staff to take charge of the team for the FA Cup fifth round tie against Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Hiddink's desire to help Chelsea on a short-term basis means the English club will have to obtain permission from the Russian federation but with Abramovich funding some of the Dutchman's salary, that is expected to be a minor obstacle.