Antonio Conte to sue Chelsea over ‘Delayed Sack’

Antonio Conte is set to drag Chelsea to court over damage to his career and loss of future earnings following his sacking by the Premier League club.

Reports coming out of Britain Friday say Conte is furious Chelsea made him return to the pre-season training before finally dismissing him last week to make way for the arrival of new manager Maurizio Sarri.

The Italian, who spent just two years with the Blues, was expected to be sacked last season after the breakdown in his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and the club’s dismal defence of their title.

He was however made to wait 55 days after Chelsea’s FA Cup final win over Manchester United before he was axed.

Conte is believed to have received a £9 million pay-off for the year he had remaining on his Chelsea contract, yet the former Juventus coach is keen to get additional compensation.

That could trigger an ugly legal battle, with Conte’s lawyers reportedly set to claim the west London club cost their client a year of his career, as all the top management jobs in Europe have been filled.

There are also reports that Chelsea have threatened to withhold Conte’s contract settlement due to repeated criticism of his employers over their failure to back his transfer demands.