Chelsea are seemingly close to completing what will be one of their biggest deals of the summer with the appointment of Antonio Conte as the next manager of the club.
Italian sports media outlet, Gazetta World, explained:
Conte was spotted in London and is due to meet with Chelsea officials on Monday in order to put pen to paper on a contract.
The report states that Chelsea will hand the Italian a three year contract worth £6.5m yearly.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have been looking for a permanent coach since Jose Mourinho was sacked in December and look as if they have found their man.
The 46-year-old played for 5 Serie A clubs during a glittering career and has also played for and managed Italy. He did a sterling job at Juventus between 2011-14 reinstating the Azurri as one of the powerhouses of European football. Since he left the club he has coached Italy and overseen his nation’s qualification for EURO 2016.
Conte is a passionate man who can hopefully reinvigorate a squad that remains packed with quality but has all but lost its fear factor over the last year.
One of the biggest challenges for the new man will be to find long-term replacements for the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and, eventually, John Terry. At present Chelsea arguably don’t have those sort of leaders and characters through the spine of their side.