Italy confirm plans to hold summer talks with top target Antonio Conte

Italy have confirmed Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is their no. 1 choice to take over as the new national coach.

The Italian’s future at Stamford Bridge is far from assured, despite the 48-year-old signing an enhanced deal last summer, worth a reported £19.2million until 2019.

The two parties though could not agree on a lengthier commitment and since then Conte’s future has been shrouded in doubt over apparent differences of opinion in the transfer market.

The Azzurri though are clear they want Conte to take over from Under-21 coach Luigi Di Biagio, who was recently was promoted to take over the senior national team on a caretaker basis for the friendlies against Argentina and England.

“I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,” Italian federation vice commissioner Alessandro Costacurta told Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.

“(Conte) has already shown he knows how to be national team coach while the others haven’t yet,” said Costacurta, the former AC Milan and Italy defender who is in charge of selecting the coach under the federation’s emergency administration.

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy with Mancini or with Ancelotti – although (Ancelotti) seems to have removed himself from consideration.”

Conte coached Italy from 2014-16 and reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championship before joining Chelsea

Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti, and Claudio Ranieri are also under consideration by Italy.

Gian Piero Ventura was fired in November after failing to qualify for the World Cup.