Antonio Conte Gives Chelsea Green light As He Confirms Italy Exit

Antonio Conte has confirmed he will step down as Italy head coach after Euro 2016. The announcement that he will not renew his Italy contract was made earlier on Tuesday morning by Carlo Tavecchio, the president of the Italian FA, and has now been confirmed by Conte himself.

Conte said “At the moment, my focus is on the Euros, where we'll try with hard work and sacrifice to do our best at the tournament. Anyone who knows me, knows I will give my total commitment to this. I feel I should go back to being a club manager, to have the chance to train with players every day. I want to thank the president and everyone at the federation who has followed me in this wonderful adventure”.

Initial talks were reported to have been positive, with Conte potentially talking about a long-term deal to come to England as a replacement for interim boss Guus Hiddink. Hiddink, who replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in December, has already stated his intention to retire from management at the end of the season, ruling himself out of taking the role permanently.

Conte took over the Italian national side in August 2014 and secured their qualification for the European Championship in France. He won three Serie A titles with Juventus, predominantly favouring a system employing three central defenders.