Chelsea have shown the first signs of making good on their pledge to retain José Mourinho by opening contract talks with Steve Clarke. The assistant manager’s existing deal expires in the summer and he has yet to sit down to discuss a new one, as The Times revealed in January.

Clarke had appeared in danger of being caught in the crossfire between Mourinho and Roman Abramovich, the owner, with some of the Russian’s advisers eager to replace him with a coach able to work more closely with Andriy Shevchenko, the striker. However, Clarke now seems likely to benefit from the fragile peace deal between the pair.

Chelsea are ready to offer the 43-year-old a new three-year contract that will run parallel with Mourinho’s until 2010, as long as the manager accepts the imposition of a new power structure at the club.

Mourinho threatened to walk out in January if there was any interference with his backroom staff, but is ready to compromise in order to safeguard his future.

Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, issued a statement last week in which he said that Mourinho would “not be sacked”, but the finer points of the peace deal have not been agreed. Abramovich has returned to London from Boris Yeltsin’s funeral in Moscow but has yet to hold face-to-face talks with his manager, which may have to wait until the end of the season.

Abramovich will tell Mourinho that he must accept the arrival of Avram Grant from Portsmouth this summer in an as-yet unspecified technical role, while Frank Arnesen, the chief scout and director of youth development, will be given more control over player recruitment — a big blow to Mourinho’s pride.

In return, Mourinho will be given money to spend in the transfer market and be permitted to keep his backroom team of Clarke, Baltemar Brito, Silvinho Louro, Rui Faria and Andre Villas.

The Portuguese contingent’s contracts also expire in the summer and although they contain a clause offering a year’s extension, Mourinho will push for them all to be given new three-year deals.