Chelsea are reportedly fearful about the future of Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge with talks over a renewal stalled.

According to a report in The Sun, Antonio Conte’s position at Chelsea is under a cloud, with the Italian manager stalling over a signing a new contract. The Blues’ boss was expected to put pen to paper on a new deal following their Premier League triumph last season.

Conte has had an enormous impact at Chelsea despite having managed the club for just one season. Taking charge of a side that finished 10th in a disastrous Premier League title defence in the 2015/16 season and was, hence, bereft of confidence, the Italian manager seemed to have a sizable task on his hands.

However, less than 12 months after taking charge of his first match for Chelsea, Conte oversaw a remarkable turnaround in fortunes. The West London club had reclaimed the Premier League title that they had surrendered meekly only a year ago, coasting to the triumph with a comfortable seven-point margin over Tottenham.

Conte’s initial success in England, though, also resulted a few clubs lining up to snatch him away from Chelsea. Inter Milan, in particular, were heavily linked to the Italian. But a possible deal for the former Italy boss failed to materialise and the Nerazzurri appointed Luciano Spalletti as their next boss.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been keen on rewarding Conte with a bumper new deal that will make him the highest-paid manager in the West London club’s history. But, he is yet to agree to new terms with the Blues, increasing fears over his future at the club.

Conte is believed to be growing increasingly frustrated over Chelsea’s summer transfer business. The Premier League champions have managed to land Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko, but lost out to Manchester United in the race to sign Romelu Lukaku.

A striker is indeed Conte’s top priority this summer, with Diego Costa set to leave Chelsea. But the Blues are no closer to signing a top striker after missing out on Lukaku. Conte’s frustrations have further increased as Chelsea failed to land two of his primary targets – Leonardo Bonucci and Alex Sandro.

The Italian tactician is desperate to wrap up transfer business before the start of the season instead of waiting till the dying days of the window like last season, when Chelsea were forced to turn their attention towards David Luiz and Marcos Alonso after they missed out on a number of targets.

A repeat of last summer’s frustrations could cause further unrest, although Chelsea will be desperate to see Conte put pen to paper on a new deal soon. It now remains to be seen if the Italian indeed signs a new contract soon or if talks remain stalled.

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