Conte is currently plying his trade in Italy with Napoli, but there has been talk of him leaving the club this summer. The Salento-born manager is under contract with Napoli until the end of next season and was responsible for bringing the Serie A title to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last year.
During the conversation, Conte mentioned the vacant national team position following the Azzurri’s recent failures in World Cup qualifying. However, according to Calciomercato, Conte is said to be on the shortlist to replace Rosenior at Stamford Bridge.
Conte had a brief but successful stint at the helm of the capital’s club from 2016 to 2018, with the former Juventus and Inter Milan manager leading them to the league title in 2017. Things started to go downhill during Conte’s second season and he was quickly let go, said to be due to a complete breakdown in communication with the club’s board.
Now, under new ownership, Todd Boehly and company are said to be interested in bringing him back. However, the shortlist could depend on their ability to qualify for next season’s European competition, as two-time European champions Chelsea are struggling to qualify for the continent.
After 34 games played this season, Chelsea are eighth in the Premier League table, level on points with Brentford and Fulham, one place outside the current qualification table. Things may change depending on how Aston Villa do in the Europa League, but Chelsea are currently in the midst of a terrible run of form in the league.
Chelsea lost away to Brighton in midweek, making it the first time since 1912 that they have lost five consecutive league games. They face an important test against Nottingham Forest on Bank Holiday Monday, with a visit to Anfield awaiting them at the weekend.
Chelsea will finish the season with games against Tottenham and Sunderland, but Callum MacFarlane will take over as caretaker manager until then. Andoni Iraola is the frontrunner to take over this summer, but Felpy Ruiz, Cesc Fabregas and Oliver Glasner are also on the list.
An example of someone from outside the club is Frank Lampard, whose managerial stock has risen after leading Coventry City back to the Premier League. Lampard has twice managed Chelsea, once permanently and once on an interim basis, but some believe he could be tempted to take the reins for a third time.
