Chelsea are set to announce the departure of manager Antonio Conte after two years in charge.
The club have refused to comment on the status of the 48-year-old, who won the Premier League title in his first season and the FA Cup in May.
Conte took pre-season training this week but his future has been a source of contention and ex-Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri expected to take over.
The Blues have reportedly agreed on a compensation package for Sarri, 59.
Should Sarri be appointed, he would be Chelsea’s ninth full-time manager since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
During three years with Napoli, Sarri has not won a major honour but has guided the club to finishes of second, third and second again – behind Juventus in 2017-18. The former Empoli manager was named Serie A Coach of the Year in 2016-17.
Conte’s future was under scrutiny even as his side beat Manchester United to lift the FA Cup in May but he remained in place and took pre-season training this week with those players not at the World Cup.
However, his exit has been anticipated all summer after the Blues missed out on Champions League qualification due to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.
May’s FA Cup final success means Conte – who managed Juventus from 2011 to 2014 – has won a major trophy in each of his last five seasons as a club manager.
In all it proved a fractious campaign for the west-London club, with Conte outspoken about the congested Christmas fixture list and on times visibly agitated in news conferences when questioned about a public war of words with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea ultimately finished 30 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City and exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage after a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Barcelona.
In mid-October, the Blues were beaten by a Crystal Palace side who had gone into the match with no points from seven games, prompting Conte to dismiss rumours of unrest over his training schedule.
After Christmas they suffered back-to-back league defeats twice – first by Bournemouth and Watford, and then against Manchester City and Manchester United – and a run of four-straight wins late in the campaign could not secure a top-four finish.
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Source: BBC
