'I'm very happy here' - Chelsea boss Antonio Conte mystified by ongoing links to Inter Milan

Conte has insisted he has no interest in leaving Chelsea as he closes in on the title
Getty Images
Simon Johnson7 April 2017

Antonio Conte admits he is mystified that he was ever linked with a move to Inter Milan.

As Standard Sport revealed this morning, the Serie A club are finally prepared to concede defeat in their pursuit of the Chelsea coach and are looking at Roma’s Luciano Spalletti and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone instead.

Conte has been in talks with Chelsea over extending his contract, which still has two years left to run, and is expected to sign an extension at the end of the campaign.

The rumours of a departure to Inter Milan intensified last week though when the brother of influential Italian agent, Federico Pastorello, Andrea, claimed Conte could be tempted away from Stamford Bridge.

But Conte said: “I don't know why this person has spoken about me. I think I stay here. I'm very happy to stay here. This is the most important thing. I don't like when I listen to other people speaking for me and about me.

“I have two more years of contract with Chelsea and this is the truth. I don't know why (there are so many stories about Inter Milan).

“I think it's normal to try to involve my name in this situation. I worked in Italy. I think that they want to come back for me in Italy. But it's normal, this, to listen to a lot of things in this moment.”

The 46-year-old has also dismissed the possibility that his former Juventus player Andrea Pirlo will replace Steve Holland as his assistant next season.

Holland is leaving to become a permanent member of England’s backroom team and former Chelsea midfielder Ray Wilkins suggested Pirlo, who has visited the training ground during the season, is being lined up.

In Pictures | Chelsea vs Man City | 05/04/17

1/22

But Conte said: “In this period I'm listening to a lot of things. This is very strange, for example, because Andrea Pirlo is playing (for New York City) and wants to continue to play.

“I don't know why someone would want to put this type of situation (out there) for me. But it's normal, this. It's better for me to focus on the present, for me and my players.

“The present is more important than the future for all. I prefer to be focused on the present and try to finish this season, making this season a great season and not only a good season.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in