Antonio Conte is unlikely to become Italy’s next manager as the Italian Football Federation are unwilling to meet his demands, reports The Times.
The 48-year-old is widely expected to leave Chelsea at the end of the season following two whirlwind years at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are on course to finish outside of the top-four and last season’s Premier League champions are expected to go in a new direction this summer.
Conte has been regularly linked with a return to Italy throughout his time at Chelsea and now the Italian Football Federation are interested in re-hiring their former boss.
Conte stepped down as Italy head coach after Euro 2016 to become Chelsea manager but wants a five-year deal to return to the international scene.
Zenit manager Roberto Mancini and former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti are also under consideration by the Italians, who have been manageress since missing out on a place at the 2018 World Cup.
In two years in charge of the Italian national team, Conte finished with a win ratio of 58.3% and led his country to an unlikely quarter-final berth at Euro 2016.