Barcelona Reportedly Targeting Antonio Conte to Replace Luis Enrique

Barcelona are reportedly planning to pursue Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as the successor for outgoing Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique in the summer. 

According to Neil Fissler in the Express, Barca have been impressed by the way Conte has turned Chelsea's fortunes around, leading them to within touching distance of the Premier League title in 2016-17 after a 10th-place finish last term.

Despite his immense success in his maiden season at Stamford Bridge, Conte has been regularly linked with jobs elsewhere, most notably Inter Milan.

However, Dominic Fifield in the Guardian reported in March that Chelsea were looking to extend the Italian's contract past its current expiry date in 2019 in order to ward off other suitors.

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Barcelona could likely put a very tempting offer to Conte, 47, as well as giving him the chance to prove himself in yet another arena after succeeding with Juventus in Serie A, the Italian national team and Chelsea.

Per Sport, he would be a surprise appointment from Barca as his style of play does not necessarily fit in with the famed philosophy of the Catalan giants.

The front-runners for the job since Enrique announced he would step down back in March have all had previous connections with Barca—Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde, Everton manager Ronaldo Koeman and Enrique's current No. 2 Juan Carlos Unzue, per Sport.

Fissler also explained that, should Barca succeed in tempting Conte to the Camp Nou, London-based Leonid Slutsky, the former CSKA Moscow manager and friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, would be the obvious replacement.