Chelsea negotiate with Luis Enrique
The English side have offered him a two-and-a-half year deal
Conte's sacking has been delayed because the Blues would have to pay him 30m
Antonio Conte's era at Chelsea is coming to an end. The Italian lifted the Premier League with the Blues last season but his team have slumped and Luis Enrique has been lined up at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have told him they want him to lead their ambitious project.
The London side will offer him a deal for the rest of the season and two more years after that, so he can work calmly.
The main job is keeping Chelsea in next season's Champions League. They missed out on last year's edition after Jose Mourinho's awful second season and to do so again would be a catastrophe.
The Blues are currently fourth, a point ahead of Tottenham, with 12 weeks to go. They still have to face Man United and Man City.
Chelsea first play West Brom on Monday and then Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday.
COST
One reason Conte is still in charge is money. He renewed his deal until 2021 for 10m euros a season and Conte is not going to let that go. If Chelsea sacked him, he would be owed 30m euros - and the Blues do not want to take that drastic move unless they have to. But if results do not follow, they will ask Conte to reach an agreement with them over a departure fee.
His chances of continuing are low, without the support of the dressing room. His rigourous methods have upset the players.
Chelsea believe Luis Enrique is the solution, seeing him as a good motivator with plenty of titles in the bank from his Barcelona days. He's top of Roman Abramovich's list and as he is without a job, Chelsea would not have to compensate a club to sign him.
The Asturian has had various offers from different clubs, but he wants somewhere that has a powerful potential - Chelsea - and a nice city for his family to live in - London.
BARCA RETURN
Of course, if Lucho does come in soon, it would mean he faces off against Barcelona in the Champions League. The coach will not leave his decision pending on that though, but instead on the project and if he can help decide the make-up of the squad next season.
