Chelsea have made contact with Antonio Conte regarding their managerial vacancy in what could lead to a stunning return.
The Italian spent two years at Stamford Bridge before he was sacked in 2018, but he remains the last Blues boss to deliver the Premier League title. Chelsea's hierarchy are determined to undergo a thorough process as they seek their next manager having sacked Graham Potter last week.
Chelsea have endured a poor campaign by their standards, made worse by the huge sums invested in the playing group, and there is a determination to get their next appointment right. Frank Lampard has returned until the end of the season as caretaker, but a host of big names are being considered beyond that - with Conte among them.
The Independent reports that, through various parties, contact has been made with the Italian ahead of a potential meeting next week. Conte did leave Chelsea under a cloud previously, taking them to tribunal, but that would have no impact now given that was under a different ownership.
Conte was recently axed by Tottenham after delivering a foul-mouthed rant that took aim at the players and the board. The former Inter Milan boss is not one to shirk his words but it ultimately cost him in north London, where he couldn't deliver a trophy.
Chelsea are in the midst of interviewing several major candidates as they look to move away from the long-term project which led them to Potter back in September. His lack of experience at a big club was consistently held against him and there was a feeling that he was out of his depth.
Former Spain boss Luis Enrique, who has also won the Champions League, has been in London for talks and impressed those in west London, especially with his vision for the team. Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann are also very much on the shortlist.
The former has been out of work since leaving PSG but did his best work whilst at Tottenham, whom he led to second in the league as well as the European Cup final. Nagelsmann has recently been axed at Bayern Munich, but his stock remains high, even if there could be reservations about his age.
The next Chelsea manager could be without any European football - which proved to be an advantage for Conte back in 2017. They will also have to find a winning formula with the current squad, which has been lavishly assembled, but built across several different tenures to suit contrasting philosophies.
