Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has once again refuted suggestions he will return to Italy in the summer and pledged his future to the Premier League champions-elect for next season.
Conte’s side maintained their seven point lead at the top of the Premier League after beating rivals Manchester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening and have all but secured the league title for the second time in three years.
The former Italy manager has been a revelation since joining Chelsea at the start of the season and his work has not been missed back in his homeland with Inter’s ambitious new Chinese owners keen to make him their manager next season.
Despite already previously cooling suggestions he would leave Chelsea after one season, reports were fuelled further after Italian agent, and close friend of Conte, Andrea Pastorello, suggested he was tempted by Inter’s interest.
However, the Chelsea manager has once again moved to quash suggestions of a summer exit and insists he will be at Stamford Bridge as next season.
“Pastorello is a friend,” The Daily Mail quote Conte as saying. “I know him well but I don’t like it when others speak for me. We’re fighting for the title and we want to achieve this goal, then we’ll try to build something important together.
Asked whether that meant he would remain Chelsea manager, Conte replied: “Yes, for next season".
Chelsea are 31 points better off at this stage of the season than they were last season.
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