Chelsea fans have been enjoying a remarkable season under new manager Antonio Conte this term, considering the woeful time they had last season, but reports linking the Italian with a move back to Serie A will have the Stamford Bridge faithful worried.
The former Juventus manager, who led Italy to the quarter finals of the European Championships in France last summer, has been mooted as the top target for fallen Italian giants Inter Milan, who have recently been bank-rolled by Chinese investors and are beginning to flex their financial muscles.
Some reports from Conte’s home country are even suggesting that an agreement over a four year deal has already been made with the San Siro based club, who are on their third manager since the start of 2016, with former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini leaving last summer before his replacement, Frank de Boer, was sacked early in his reign, with his side bottom of their Europa League group.
With their bank account having swollen significantly, Inter will once again be targeting the best in Europe, looking to turn their heads with highly lucrative offers.
With the form they’ve shown under the Italian, who brought about the change to a 3-4-3 system earlier this year, the club have romped to the top of the Premier League and currently sit ten points clear of their nearest challengers, Tottenham.
Furthermore, the Blues are still going in the FA Cup, where a quarter final tie against former manager Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United side, whom they beat 4-0 in the last meeting, awaits.
Since arriving at the Bridge after his time with the Italian national side had concluded, Conte has brought unrivalled passion and energy to the touchline, something which has struck a chord with the fans in west London.
Seeing the former Juve man go hurtling down the touchline before launching himself into the third row is not an uncommon site at the moment, and is something which had given the fans a tangible connection with their beloved manager.
It is this connection, as well as Conte’s undoubted desire to make an impact in Europe with his Chelsea side, which can convince the former Italy international to stay put for the coming seasons and turn the side he has built into a real force on the continent.