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Chelsea news: Blues suffer Antonio Conte setback after Real Madrid announcement
CHELSEA look set to have to pay out another £11million to Antonio Conte after Real Madrid announced Santiago Solari would be their manager for the rest of the season.
Conte had been lined up to take up the vacant position at the Bernabeu after Julen Lopetegui was sacked last month.
The two parties were reportedly deep in negotiations until a breakdown followed captain Sergio Ramos’ comments in which he expressed his reservations about the Italian taking over.
Real Madrid Castilla boss Solari was instead handed temporary charge and after overseeing four wins from four has now been trusted to remain manager for the rest of the campaign, as was confirmed yesterday.
Conte, meanwhile, remains locked in a legal dispute with Chelsea after being sacked back in July.
The Italian had another year of his contract at Stamford Bridge still to go with the terms agreed meaning that Chelsea have to pay out on the final year of Conte’s deal unless he was to take up a new job before June 2019.
And the Daily Mirror claim that Conte is owed £11.3m as part of his wages but that he also wants another £8.7m in damages due to the controversial nature of his Chelsea departure.
Chelsea are reportedly refusing to hand Conte his outstanding salary due to his behaviour at the club but they must prove wrongdoing forced his departure in order to get out of paying up.
And with the Real Madrid position now no longer on the table, ex-Italy tactician Conte has confirmed he has no plans to enter a new club until next summer.
"Real Madrid? As I see it, it is better to wait until the end of the season than to take a train running now,” Conte told reporters at the Panchina d’Oro awards afternoon.
"I want to wait for June and start again with a new project.
“In three months I could change my mind and deny everything, but I've always thought of it this way.”
That would require Chelsea to pay Conte at least the £11.3m he is owed by the club he took to a Premier League title and an FA Cup success during his two years in charge - with the damages likely to be decided in court.
Sky Sports reported last week that Conte has refused to meet with Chelsea in order to come to a solution without the need for a court case.
Conte’s previous club level role before Chelsea saw him enjoy three successful seasons at Juve where he won three Serie A titles.
But while he says he would enjoy a return to Italy, Conte insists he is not thinking about succeeding Massimiliano Allegri in Turin.
"If I think about the fact that I could train [Cristiano] Ronaldo? No, I do not think about it," Conte added.
”I’m happy with the players I've trained and the things I've won.
"The club continues to grow and is doing a great job at the business level, with huge purchases and a great deal for Allegri.
"Of course, I am Italian and I like to live and train in Italy, obviously, at the moment there is an incredible dominance of Juventus, but the pursuers are they are strengthening year after year."