Antonio Conte wants to make Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci his first Chelsea signing should John Terry leave the club. Conte, 54, announced on 14 March he will leave his role as Italy manager following Euro 2016, and is widely expected to be named Chelsea's next manager in the coming days.
One of his first major decisions will be on the future of Terry, who is set to leave the club when his current contract expires at the end of the season. The 35-year-old remains hopeful of getting a new deal before then, despite the club informing him in February there would be no talks over a renewal.
Should the former England captain leave Stamford Bridge there will be a sizeable hole at centre-half to fill, with young Kurt Zouma unlikely to be ready in time for the start of the 2016-17 season after suffering a serious cruciate knee ligament injury.
The final decision on Terry's future will be made when the new manager officially arrives at the club. But if Conte does decide to look for someone else to lead his defence, he will apparently turn to Bonucci.
Bringing the Italy international to West London could prove difficult, however. The 28-year-old signed a new five-year deal with the Bianconeri just last year and remains integral to the club's backline, winning three Serie A title under Conte's management of the club.
Conte will become the 12th managerial appointment of the Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge.According to Gazzetta dello Sport, his arrival will be followed by those of the Italian's carefully assembled backroom team.
