Chelsea will hold further talks with Antonio Conte’s representatives in England on Thursday as their search for a new manager reaches a key phase.
The Italy coach has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the club in the summer, with Massimiliano Allegri, the Juventus manager, publicly distancing himself from the process and Atlético Madrid’s Diego Simeone unwilling to make a decision about his future at this point of the season.
Chelsea have already held preliminary talks with Conte and the 46-year-old, whose contract with Italy runs out after Euro 2016, is keen to take over in the summer. Chelsea are prepared to offer to their next manager a salary of £6.3m a year before tax.
The Italian won the Serie A title with Juventus for three consecutive years before taking over the national team and wants a return to club management.
Conte, a former Juventus and Italy player, managed Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta and Siena before taking over at the Turin club in 2011. After winning the league in all of his three seasons – but failing to get past the quarter-final stage in the Champions League – he agreed to replace Cesare Prandelli as Italy coach in 2014.
Conte’s team qualified for Euro 2016 without losing a game – seven wins and three draws – and are among the favourites to win the tournament.
Guus Hiddink, Chelsea’s interim manager, signed a contract until the summer in December and has lost only one of his 13 games, the last-16 Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain in France last week. Chelsea are 12th in the league, 14 points behind a Champions League spot and nine above the relegation zone.
