Chelsea managerial target Antonio Conte has refused to confirm he has already agreed to become the new coach of the Blues next season, and suggests he could yet continue his career in Italy.
Conte is expected to be announced as Chelsea's new manager by the end of the month after both he and the Italian Football Federation President, Carlo Tavecchio, confirmed last week he will not be renewing his contract with the Azzurri past this summer's European Championships.
However, when asked about his supposed impending move to the Premier League champions, the 46-year-old refused to say whether he had signed a deal to take over from Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge.
"Chelsea? It’s not a taboo for me, but I could talk about Italian teams too," the Italy coach said.
"I’ve taken the choice [to leave], and now we’ll see what the future holds, if there’s something beautiful in Italy or abroad. These choices are never taken lightly.
"What’s certain is that I won’t be Italy coach for the next two years, my intention is to return to a club."
He added: "I’ve said it clearly, this is not a goodbye to Italian football. I grew up here, and I played here. I won and I lost, I had satisfaction and pain.
"It’s inevitable that I’ll assess what can happen in the future."
Despite appearing to pour cold water on a move to Chelsea, Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta said he would be pleased to see his former coach join the Blues.
"It's not official yet, but this would also be a reward for our decision to appoint him and we are very proud of it," Marotta told Mediaset television.
