Ex-Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte Dismisses Talk of Swift Return to Management Amid Links to Major Clubs

​Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has dismissed rumours linking him with an imminent return to management, with the likes of Inter, AC Milan and Real Madrid all mentioned as possible destinations.

The 49-year-old has been out of work since leaving Chelsea last summer, ending a two-season spell in England where he won both the Premier League and the FA Cup with the west London side. The Italian has also had substantial success in his homeland, winning three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus.

According to Goal, Conte was spotted in the crowd during Atalanta's 3-0 Coppa Italia win over ​Juventus on Wednesday evening, prompting speculation he was gearing up for a return to management after his brief sojourn away from the game. 

However, when questioned by reporters about his plans, the former Chelsea coach said: "I miss the pitch, but I decided to take the rest of this year off and I'm looking forward to a new destination, which of course we do not know. I came from London to ​Milan to watch the Juventus match, but I have not received any offers from Italy.”

​Inter were ​previously reported to have made contact with Conte over the possibility of taking over from Luciano Spalletti, who has been unable to turn his side into title challengers this season. With ​AC Milan also struggling, and ​Real Madrid in a time of real transition, the charismatic coach could have a number of alluring options to mull over in the coming months.

In other news, ​Chelsea appear to have held onto their starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi until at least the summer, with ​Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovač confirming his club would not make another offer for the player this month. The Bundesliga giants have pursued the youngster relentlessly throughout January, but seem to have cooled their interested for the time being.

Source : 90min