Real Madrid have identified Chelsea boss Antonio Conte as their next manager, according to a report from Marca.
It’s claimed by the Spanish news outlet that Real will ‘activate the option’ to land Conte, as they continue to seek their replacement for Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman’s shock resignation has led Los Blancos to Chelsea boss Conte after they learned that Mauricio Pochettino would be unattainable.
Conte’s future at Stamford Bridge has been decided for some time, with the top brass at the club having been actively searching for new managers ahead of next season.
Departed Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri was targeted by a deal broke down for the Italian. This has led Chelsea to consider options such as Laurent Blanc and Slavisa Jokanovic, whilst Luis Enrique was also recently linked once again.
Conte still has a year to run on his contract at Chelsea but this does not appear to have deterred Real in their interest.
In fact, the Blues’ board may welcome Los Blancos’ pursuit of Conte as they would be forced to buy the Italian out of his contract, meaning Chelsea will need to pay their manager no compensation for any potential dismissal.
