Chelsea are lining up a shock move to bring back Antonio Conte to the club as manager, MySportDab reports.
Italian outlet, La Republica, reports the Blues have kept close contact with the 54-year-old recently, and are exploring avenues to broker a deal that could land the Italian football veteran in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.
Conte is one of the few Chelsea managers who recorded an instant impact after assuming the reins in the Blues’ dugout as manager.
The former Inter Milan and Juventus boss joined Chelsea in 2016 and won the Premier League title in his debut campaign. However, his second season with the club was a shadow of the preceding campaign.
Chelsea missed out of the Champions League, finishing a distant fifth on the Premier League table and the 54-year-old was shown the exit door by the then Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
With Mauricio Pochettino facing an uncertain future at the club with a less-than-stellar debut run, Conte could be the next in line to succeed the Argentine.
La Republica reports Chelsea have taken their interest in Conte further and could open talks with the Napoli target in a few days before the season ends.
While the Blues’ interest in Conte could have a huge bearing on the Italian’s next stop as manager, MySportDab understands Napoli are ahead in the race to sign Conte.
The 2022/23 Serie A champions have yet to confirm a deal with Conte, but Serie A outlets report Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has met with Conte and agreed a deal with the former Tottenham Hotspur manager to take over the club from interim manager Francesca Calzona at the end of the season.
The report adds a three-year contract has been agreed with the football veteran set to earn a staggering £5.4m annual wage.
Despite Napoli’s apparent front leg on the race to sign Antonio Conte, Chelsea’s interest in the former manager could be a deal-breaker.
It will be the third time Conte will return to London as manager after his previous spell with the Blues, and most recently, Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.
Conte reached a mutual agreement to end his collaboration with Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 after two seasons.
The highly-rated football manager fell out with the club after Tottenham stumbled in the top-four race, surrendering a three-goal lead last season to draw 3-3 with Southampton.
