Chelsea may have just received a boost in their reported pursuit of long term target Mauro Icardi.
Antonio Conte won the Premier League with Chelsea in the 2016/17 season, but a fractious relationship with both the board and senior players saw him replaced by Sarri in the summer of 2018.
It now looks like the Italian will be managing in his native country as he is reportedly close to taking over as Inter boss.
Maurizio Sarri reveals how many players Chelsea need to challenge Man City and Liverpool
Inter striker Icardi has been linked with the Blues for some months. The 26-year-old was stripped of the captaincy earlier in the season after contract negotiations turned sour.
Should Conte be appointed as manager, his history with big characters, for example Diego Costa at Chelsea, suggest that Icardi's future may not be at the San Siro for much longer.
Reports are circling (via as), that Conte is already lining up possible replacements for the striker, and is showing interest in former Chelsea man Romelu Lukaku at Manchester United.
If Icardi does move on from the Italian club, there is one big hurdle that will stand in Chelsea's way. Their appeal against a transfer ban has been dismissed, meaning that unless the club are successful in a appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), they will unable to register new players for the next two transfer windows.
Icardi is now heavily linked with Spanish club Atletico Madrid, although it is said that any club wanting to take the player is being asked to pay up to €70million.
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