Antonio Conte set to leave Chelsea within next 48 hours with former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique eyed as replacement
The 48-year-old guided the Blues to the FA Cup on Saturday, but is increasingly likely to leave Stamford Bridge
CHELSEA boss Antonio Conte is set to depart the club within the next 48 hours, with Luis Enrique eyed up as his replacement.
The Italian recently declared that sacking him would be a mistake, labelling himself as a "serial winner" after guiding the Blues to the FA Cup.
Conte himself admitted that winning the trophy may not be enough to keep him at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea set to pay the 48-year-old the £9.6million he would be owed from the final year of his contract.
And according to the Express, the ex-Juventus manager is poised to get axed within the next two days, with the West Londoners to waste no time in finding his successor.
Former Barcelona boss Enrique is reportedly being lined up by Chelsea, as he eyes a return to management after his one-year hiatus from the game.
The Spaniard has been out of a job since stepping down at Barca last summer, and has been linked with the vacant Arsenal job, but his wage demands have proved to be a stumbling block.
Other candidates in the running are Napoli's chief Maurizio Sarri and Monaco's influential leader Leonardo Jardim.
Conte has fired a parting shot at Roman Abramovich as he nears unemployment, claiming the club never matched his ambition.
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He said: "Sometimes you do not always have the same ambition.
“Last season after we won the League, I and the club spoke, we tried to find the right way to try to defend our title. I decided to stay and work hard.
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“When you decide to take on a coach like me, you must know who you are taking on, who you are charging for this job. I cannot change my personality, my idea of football. I am a serial winner.
“The way we played on Saturday was the only way to lift a trophy the way we are now. If you want to change, you must change many players.”
Instead of revelling in Chelsea's FA Cup success, Conte has already flew back to Italy as he awaits his fate.
The news will likely delight Willian - who was slammed for his "classless" dig at the former midfielder following the win against Manchester United.