Antonio Conte Dismisses AC Milan Rumours, Says 'Leave It Out'

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has rejected reports linking him with AC Milan.

According to Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard, Conte said: "Milan? Leave it out! We're trying to stay concentrated because it's a tough run from here to the end of the season. I am only concentrated on Chelsea and purely want to do what is best for Chelsea."

The Italian was asked about recent links with the Rossoneri after the Blues' 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday.

He also took issue with questioning over his future, per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey:

The Premier League champions have struggled somewhat this season—even after Sunday's win they remain nine points behind league leaders Manchester City and they were recently beaten 3-0 by Roma in the Champions League—and according to Johnson, Conte has been unhappy with their recruitment efforts.

Meanwhile, Milan have endured a nightmare start to their own campaign despite bringing in the likes of Andre Silva, Leonardo Bonucci, Hakan Calhanoglu and a number of other signings in the summer.

The Rossoneri are already 13 points behind Napoli in Serie A, while fourth-placed Lazio are nine ahead with a game in hand.

As such, manager Vincenzo Montella looks to be under serious pressure at the San Siro. Football writer John Solano has been critical of his management:

"

Absolutely insane that Montella continues to favor a stagnant Kalinić over an infinitely more modern and creative Andre Silva.

— John Solano (@Solano_56) October 28, 2017"

Speculation has naturally turned to potential replacements for Montella should he depart, with Conte among those reported to be in the frame, per Calciomercato's Jean-Luca Mascaro:

Milan are a club with enormous potential and a great deal of talent to work with in their squad, and it's to be expected Conte would dismiss such links while still employed at Chelsea.

However, they're also in disarray this year and seem unlikely to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, so it's hardly an ideal situation to take charge of either.

A move to Milan in the future could still be on the cards for Conte, but it appears to only be speculation at the moment.