Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to back Antonio Conte to the hilt in the January market.

Abramovich has twice held crunch talks with Conte this week.

The Daily Mail says insiders say Chelsea's new boss feels he has inherited an outdated squad – one that won the Premier League two years ago but is incapable of reproducing that title-winning form.

Conte wants to rebuild and it is understood Abramovich's right-hand woman, Marina Granovskaia, is being tasked with sounding out several of his targets. This season has seen Abramovich frequently visit Cobham, often overseeing training sessions from a distance. He tends not to interact with the players but this week met Conte for lunch.