In a stunning development surrounding Antonio Conte’s future, the Italian head coach and tried to delay his players’ arrival for pre-season, going against club wishes.
The Times reports that Chelsea’s non-World Cup players were informed via email to turn up to the start of pre-season training over the weekend.
However, Conte is clearly unhappy with this and has told the players not to turn up until Monday.
The former Juventus boss is expecting to be sacked by the Premier League side this summer, but no talks have been held about his exit.
Maurizio Sarri is being lined up to replace him at Stamford Bridge, with some reports suggesting a deal could be done before the weekend.
The Blues are keen to get their players in for fitness tests on Saturday and Sunday but they want a new manager in charge beforehand.
A deal to bring Sarri to Chelsea has been held up by the Blues refusing to meet Napoli’s asking price for the fee needed to release the 59-year-old from his current deal.
