Antonio Conte is currently the manager of Italy, but speculation is rife that he will be the new Chelsea manager this summer.
In fact, The Express report that Conte is expected to be confirmed as Guus Hiddink’s replacement before the end of this month.
The same newspaper claim that Conte has identified two players that he would like to play big roles in his Chelsea side.
Those players are centre-back rock Kostas Manolas (seen above), who was one of Greece’s best performers at the 2014 World Cup, and Belgium’s Radja Nainggolan, who is as famous for his punk-style hair as he is for his midfield dynamism.
Manolas and Nainggolan are both currently contracted to AS Roma and The Express suggest that they are valued at £24m and £28m respectively.
A combined price of £52m might seem like a lot, but The Express report that Blues owner Roman Abramovich will give Conte sufficient funds to oversee major rebuilding of the playing staff at Stamford Bridge.
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