Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali did not verbally confirm the expected arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as manager when asked at an NBA match.
Eghbali was seen at the LA Lakers win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, with Chelsea's hierarchy reportedly in Los Angeles to debate the management situation.
The 46-year-old Iranian-born businessman is co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, who took over the running of Chelsea Football Club last summer.
However, there was a glint in the businessman's eye when Pochettino was mentioned that suggests it might just be a done deal.