Chelsea ‘send Antonio Conte lucrative offer to return as manager and replace Pochettino six years after sacking’

CHELSEA have sent Antonio Conte a lucrative offer to return as boss, according to sensational reports.

The Italian, 54, was sacked by the Blues in the summer of 2018 following two seasons in charge.

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Conte has since worked for fierce London rivals Tottenham, by whom he was sacked in March last year following an explosive rant.

According to Italian paper La Repubblica, Chelsea have been in "close contact" with their former boss in recent days.

They add that Conte has emerged as a serious target to replace under-fire current manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine, 52, will have a year remaining on his Blues contract come the end of the season.

But he has come under intense scrutiny with his side languishing in ninth going into tonight's clash with Pochettino's former side Spurs.

Chelsea would have to beat off strong competition to secure Conte's signature.

The former Italy boss has also received concrete interest from the likes of AC Milan and Napoli in his homeland.

Conte first rocked up at Stamford Bridge back in 2016, following successful stints with Juventus and Italy.

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He won the title in his first campaign, romping to 93 points to see off competition from runners-up Tottenham.

Conte's second season was a more disappointing one, as the Blues slumped to fifth - a whopping 23 points off the tally they had achieved 12 months previously.

He did bow out with an FA Cup triumph, however, with Chelsea beating Manchester United 1-0 in the 2018 final.

Conte was sacked on July 13, 2018 following a long, drawn-out process.

Bizarrely he even took Chelsea's first pre-season sessions that summer, before being replaced by Maurizio Sarri.

Accounts later showed that sacking Conte cost Chelsea £26.6million - taking into account compensation paid to him and his coaching staff, in addition to his legal fees.

The combustible boss went on to take a year out, before rocking up at Inter Milan.

In his first season at Inter he reached the Europa League final, before he guided them to the Serie A title in the following campaign.

Conte left Inter in the summer of 2021, and initially snubbed an instant return to management when Spurs wanted him to succeed Jose Mourinho as their boss.

After Nuno Espirito Santo was axed by Tottenham chiefs in November of that year, Conte had a change of heart and took charge of the North Londoners.