Antonio Conte linked with sensational return to Chelsea after offer of ‘big investment project’

Antonio Conte could be back at Chelsea to replace Mauricio Pochettino after shock reports in Italy.

Pochettino is under pressure after a poor season with Chelsea ninth in the Premier League and replacements are said to be on club chairman Todd Boehly’s mind.

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According to La Repubblica in Italy, the leader of the Blues is in contact with Conte and his representatives to take office this summer.

Part of the offer is to tempt him with a “big investment project”, giving him huge funds to build a trophy-winning team.

Conte previously coached Chelsea, who he joined in 2016 and was sacked two years later in a turbulent period for the club where they won the Premier League but then capitulated.

In the Italian’s first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, he led them to Premier League glory, becoming the first team in the division to win 30 games.

A turbulent second season saw the Blues finish fifth and miss out on Champions League football and, despite winning the FA Cup, he was sacked that summer, costing the club £26.6million in compensation.

But the prospect of Conte returning would be a huge shock, given the direction Clearlake Capital wants to take in west London.

Having recruited a large number of young people to grow and realize their potential goes against Conte’s philosophy.

The former Inter Milan and Tottenham boss prefers to recruit professionals to make an immediate impact rather than turn youngsters into world-class stars.

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It was one of the reasons he fell out with the Chelsea board in his second season after publicly berating the lack of support he received in the transfer market.

In March 2018, he said: “I have great ambition but I don’t have the money for Chelsea.

“The club knows very well what my idea is, what my ambition is. It’s very clear.

“When you decide to work with this type of coach, you have to understand that you are taking a coach with great ambition. Not a loser but a winner. And this ambition must always be shared.”

Conte last coached in England at Tottenham, where he spent two years before an acrimonious exit, much like his time at Chelsea.

The 54-year-old has also been linked with jobs in Italy at AC Milan and Napoli.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will decide to sack Pochettino, who will enter the final year of his contract next season.

Several managers have already been proposed to replace the Argentine should he leave, including Sporting’s Ruben Amorim and even club legend Jose Mourinho.