Antonio Conte Set To Sign New Deal With Chelsea

Chelsea have stated they are confident manager Antonio Conte will sign a new contract with the team this summer.

Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte Has Two Years Left On His Three-Year Deal

The 47-year-old Italian has two seasons remaining on the three-year deal he inked when he joined the Premier League club at Stamford Bridge last summer.

The London-based Blues are determined to honor Conte for a stellar first season in charge, during which he led Chelsea to the Premier League title and the FA Cup final. After a 5-1 home victory over Sunderland on May 21, Chelsea set a new Premier League record for most wins in a season with 30 league triumphs.

Rumors had recently begun circulating that Conte might return to his post as head coach of Italy’s national team — or of clubs in the Italian league he has formerly managed, like Juventus and Arezzo) — but Conte revealed last month that he wishes to stay in England.

“If the club give me the possibility to stay and extend my contract, for sure I’m available to,” Conte said. “And I’m happy for this season. I’m happy to stay here and I hope to stay here for many years.”

In January, Conte became the first manager in Premier League history to win three straight Manager of the Month awards (October, November and December).

Chelsea have not yet signed any players this summer.

Everton’s Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has been rumored to return to Chelsea, which he left in 2014. Among the other European stars the Blues have their sights set on are Leicester City’s Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez and Juventus’ Brazilian defenseman Dani Alves, whom Manchester City are also interested in.

Earlier this month, Chelsea’s Spanish forward Diego Costa revealed Conte had sent him a text message to say he wanted Costa out of the team.

In other Premier League news, Arsenal have reportedly told Barcelona that defender Hector Bellerin is not for sale.

According to BleacherReport — which cited The Independent — the Catalan club was counting on the 22-year-old Spaniard leaving Arsene Wenger’s team to rejoin his old club.

Bellerin played eight years with Barcelona (2003-2011)— his hometown team — before transferring to Arsenal. The Spaniard, who was on loan to Watford from 2013 to 2014, signed a six-year extension with the Gunners in November 2016. He has also played for Spain’s national team at the U21 and senior levels.

Barcelona’s interest in Bellerin is noteworthy because the young defender recently confessed he has questioned whether his transfer from the team to Arsenal six years ago was a smart idea.

Bellerin noted the stark differences in training styles at the two clubs, though he added that the rigorous practice methods he learned at Emirates Stadium have allowed him to improve significantly as a player.

“We were blowing, we had no breath whatsoever,” he told Arsenal’s official website on his initial views on training: “We were thinking ‘What have we got ourselves into? This is not what we came here to do!’. But then in the afternoon we played some football.”

The Spaniard continued: “That was what struck us the most though. When we were back at Barcelona everything was with the ball, even every single physical activity, it always involved the ball.

“So it was a bit different to us but by the second season I wasn’t one of the last players in the runs, I was one of the first, so you could see the improvement I had made physically,” he said. “That’s certainly the thing that struck me the most at first.”

Bellerin has played over 100 games for Arsenal. According to the Daily Mail, Juventus might also target the young defender if they lose Alves to a transfer this summer.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 21: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea poses with the Premier League Trophy after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on May 21, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)