Antonio Conte has reportedly been left frustrated by Chelsea's reluctance to give him greater control over player recruitment, but he is expected to remain at the club for the remainder of his contract.
The 47-year-old worked wonders at Stamford Bridge in his first season outside of his native Italy, winning the Premier League title in style and falling just short of a domestic double with defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
Fractions behind the scenes have started to emerge of late, however, and The Guardian claims that matters have not been helped by Chelsea refusing to budge on their stance when it comes to signing new recruits.
Conte is said to be committed to Chelsea despite his frustrations, but will not sign the new four-year deal that was offered to him at the end of last season unless he is given more freedom in the transfer window.
The same report suggests that the ex-Italy boss has shown an interest in Leonardo Bonucci, Virgil van Dijk, Dries Mertens, Alex Sandro, David Alaba, Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata, with the club falling short in their pursuit of each player thus far.
Conte also missed out on his top targets last summer and is now desperate to wrestle back more influence over transfer policy from technical director Michael Emenalo.
Daniel Lewis
