As it becomes inevitable that Antonio Conte will be confirmed as the next Chelsea boss, Walter Sabatini could join his fellow Italian at Stamford Bridge.
FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio announced on Tuesday that Conte would be leaving his post as Italy coach this summer, as reported by The Guardian, with his contract set to expire after Euro 2016.
With speculation long linking the former Juventus boss with the Chelsea job, the announcement ultimately leads the way for the Blues to confirm the Italian tactician as their long-term successor to Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese boss was sacked in December.
With Conte building his backroom staff and putting his team together to ensure that his stay in the Premier League is a successful one, it has been suggested that Sabatini, the current sporting director at Roma, could join him in England.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Chelsea have been in contact with the Italian for several months as he has grown unpopular in the capital following his desire to see Rudi Garcia continue as boss.
The former Roma coach was sacked in January with replacement Luciano Spalletti leading the side to eight consecutive Serie A wins, which in turn has raised further questions about Sabatini’s ability to successfully do his job.
It is claimed that Chelsea will offer double Sabatini’s current wages in order to prise him away from the Stadio Olimpico, and with a track record of making some important signings for Roma and Palermo, he could be an important addition to the set up in west London.
Sabatini has been credited for being instrumental in signing the likes of Aleksandar Kolarov, Javier Pastore, Josip Ilicic and Erik Lamela during his career as a director, and Chelsea will certainly hope that he can continue that impressive track record of unearthing young talent for the future.