ANTONIO CONTE GETS TO MEET CHELSEA OWNER

The owner held a meeting with Conte over the club’s future

Coach got a rare meeting with Roman Abramovich last week as the Chelsea owner tries to keep hold of his unsettled manager

A meeting was held last week to thrash out concerns about Conte's new contract offer, transfer targets and the general restructuring of some club policies.  It was remarkable that Conte won the Premier League title in his first season with a few changes to a squad that had flopped so dramatically in the previous campaign.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and his wife Elisabetta pose for a photo for a fan

The Italian had, however, been less than impressed with progress on the transfer front.  While holidaying in Italy, Conte has been in daily contact with the owner's right-hand woman Maria Granovskaia and technical director Michael Emenalo.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte emerges from the sea in Italy

Usually, an audience with the Russian oligarch is hard to secure, but it was the media-shy Blues owner who initiated this meeting.  Conte has been promised over £200 million to further reinforce his side.  Therefore, with Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alex Sandro virtually in the bag, other signings are certain to follow.