Chelsea Reportedly Ready to Axe Antonio Conte for £9M as Part of Summer Shakeup

Chelsea are reportedly facing up to a summer of significant upheaval at Stamford Bridge, with manager Antonio Conte and as many as nine first-team players potentially on their way out. 

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Conte is set to leave the club, although it will cost the Blues around £9 million to sever ties with the Italian.

There are also said to be concerns about a number of big-name players at Chelsea, most notably Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, with Real Madrid linked with the duo. In addition, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Olivier Giroud will all only have one year remaining on their contracts come the end of the season.

Chelsea also have Michy Batshuayi and Kurt Zouma out on loan. A decision on their futures will reportedly be made once there is clarity over the club's managerial situation.

"Sources close to the club expect owner Abramovich will take a hands on role this summer to try to ensure Chelsea do not fall further behind their rivals," wrote Law, who also added that Chelsea will be looking to appoint a new technical director after Michael Emenalo departed in November.

According to Dominic Fifield of the Guardian, Chelsea are considering a younger coach to take over from Conte, although former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel is not among their targets.

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The Blues' chances of finishing in the Premier League's top four were dealt another blow on Sunday, as they lost 3-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur and fell eight points behind their capital rivals. Law put the loss into context:

Having cantered to the Premier League title in his first season in charge of Chelsea, Conte has found it tougher going in 2017-18.

While Manchester City have set a blistering pace, the Blues have been nowhere near the standards they set last season, with a summer of curious recruitment and the extra demands of UEFA Champions League football taking their toll.

As a result, Chelsea are facing up to a UEFA Europa League tilt. The FA Cup, a competition they are in the semi-finals of, may give them something to salvage from the campaign.

Even so, as Law noted, a strong finish to the campaign may not be enough to see Conte keep his job. Per the piece, there is said to have been "in-fighting" behind the scenes at Chelsea involving the manager.

According to former Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli, the ex-Juventus man is looking for a new challenge himself, per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Goal):

Not only are the Blues likely to be on the hunt for a new manager, there's an increasing urgency over the futures of Courtois and Hazard. While the latter's deal at least expires in 2020, the goalkeeper will only have a year to run at the end of this season.

While a revolving door of managers has meant Chelsea are not a club founded on stability, this summer is set to be one of seismic change. If the Blues are set to stay in touch with the likes of City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs, some smart work needs to be done at the end of the term.