Antonio Conte is prepared to sit on his Chelsea contract to the end of this season.

Conte is expected to receive the final year owing on his Chelsea contract - worth £9.5million - after confirming he will not take another job until next summer.

Since paying Luiz Felipe Scolari and his staff their contracts in full - at a cost of £42m - when they were dismissed in 2009, Chelsea have insisted on awarding sacked managers their wages only until they find another job, says the London Evening Standard.

His plans, however, do not necessarily mean an end to the saga, as Conte has threatened to take legal action for damages to his reputation and lost earnings.

Sources in Italy suggest he feels Chelsea's decision to sack him so late in the close season - when pre-season training was under way - meant he missed out on finding another position for this campaign.