ANTONIO CONTE has dropped a huge hint he is about to walk out on Chelsea at the end of the season.
Conte's future at Stamford Bridge has been in doubt amid claims the Italian was ready to quit his job this summer.
And the Chelsea boss refused to rule out turning his back on his £9.5million-a-year contract 12 months early when he was quizzed over his future.
Asked whether he would be leaving the London club this summer, Conte said: "I have another year of contract at this club, but as you know in football everything in possible.
"In one moment you stay here, another you stay in a different place." Asked if he would extend his contract with Chelsea, Conte added: "In this case, I think the club has to decide to send me away.
"For the manager of this club it's normal to have this type of situation, also if you won last season the league and you reached the final in the FA Cup. This is the history of this club for the manager. "I have a lot of experience to deal with this type of situation. There is something strange if, after the first game we lost against Burnley, the press pushed quickly to sack me for another coach. I think in other clubs this doesn't happen."
Conte insisted he is happy at Chelsea, will continue to work as a professional and will "never give up". Conte's flat refusal to dismiss the rumours over his future offer a massive clue about the Italian's state of mind at present.
The 48-year-old has been at loggerheads with his board for most of the season having been unhappy with their work in the transfer market last summer.
Having led the Blues to the Premier League title in his first year in charge, Conte believed the club should have built on that success by bringing in several top class players. But he was underwhelmed by the signings made and felt he was not given a squad capable of challenging on two fronts in the Premier League and Champions League.
The relationship between manager and board has remained frosty ever since, with the cracks still wide open.
The situation has left Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea board to begin the search for a new manager, in case Conte does quit. Juventus boss Max Allegri and former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique have emerged as the early front-runners at the top of the list.
Allegri has impressed them having won four Serie A titles in seven years with Juve and his previous club AC Milan.
But the Turin side will be desperate not to let such a successful manager escape their grasp, and Chelsea would have to find a huge compensation package to get their man. That is why ex-Barca boss Enrique is also being considered, with the 47-year-old currently out of work after leaving the Nou Camp last year.
Conte will have no shortage of options when he does leave Chelsea, with Paris Saint-Germain understood to be keen to bring him in.
And the Italian FA would also be interested in taking him back as national team boss - the role he quit before moving to Stamford Bridge in 2016.
From The Sun
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