How Chelsea could line up next season under new manager Antonio Conte with N’Golo Kante fee agreed
SunSport looks at the XI the Blues could field next year with Italy manager set to arrive at Stamford Bridge next week
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ANTONIO CONTE will arrive in west London next week to take over at Chelsea after a brilliant Euro 2016 campaign in charge of Italy.
The former Juventus boss has Chelsea fans hugely excited with the way he set his Italy team up in the tournament, with some terrible penalties the only thing that stopped the Azzurri progressing against Germany.
How Antonio Conte sets up at Stamford Bridge next season will make for fascinating viewing.
Many assume that the Italy manager will straight away revert to the 3-5-2 formation that has been so successful for him over the years.
It's that formation that won him three successive Serie A titles and almost had Italy in the semi-final of Euro 2016.
In an ideal world the Blues would adopt that formation from day one - but, right now, Chelsea do not have the wing-backs capable of playing such a system.
Conte seems determined to play with two strikers but it could be that Conte at first adopts a 4-4-2/4-2-4 formation that sees the team go through less upheaval than would be needed for 3-5-2.
Thibaut Courtois will definitely start in goal, it's further forward where the problems start.
Branislav Ivanovic is way too slow to operate as a wing-back and Cesar Azpilicueta, although an extremely stout defender, isn't dynamic enough going forward to be a long-term option in that position, although he would fill in admirably.
For Chelsea to play a 3-5-2 formation, significant investment would be needed at wing-back.
A pair of Conte's former players have been linked but it is not yet known if either will sign.
Kwadwo Asamoah, frozen out at Juventus but in the Serie A team of the year under Conte, is an option for the left side and Lazio man Antonio Candreva could be used on the right.
Candreva has reportedly said he wants to leave Lazio, although Inter are also interested.
The 29-year-old had been first-choice for Italy in the first two group games before injury ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
Asamoah was once one of the best players in Italy but has barely featured since the arrival of Max Allegri, who has preferred Patrice Evra.
Both players are more natural than anything Chelsea have at wing-back, but a deal is still a way away.
Another wild card option is Juan Cuadrado, who played the position quite often for Juventus last season, although it is not yet known if the Colombian will be given another chance at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea definitely need another centre-back and Kalidou Koulibaly appears to be on his way for around £30m.
The 6ft 5in Senegalese has been a commanding figure for Napoli over the last couple of seasons and would be an upgrade over Gary Cahill.
John Terry, 35, may well be on the decline and heading to the end of his career but his experience should see him get the nod over Kurt Zouma for the immediate future, especially with the talented Frenchman on the way back from serious injury.
Conte proved during the Euros he has no problem with older players - Italy had one of the oldest squads at the tournament and Andrea Barzagli (35) was a key player - and although Terry would play less, he should still be first-choice in the biggest matches.
The signing of world class centre-back Leonardo Bonucci would be a dream.
But there appears little possibility that the defender, arguably Juventus' star player, leaves Italy's biggest and most successful team for a club who won't be in the Champions League next season.
Should Conte adapt the 3-5-2, Terry could play in the middle flanked by a formidably pacey and powerful pairing of Koulibaly and Zouma.
Chelsea are chasing N'Golo Kante extremely hard.
The French midfielder would appear to be the perfect foil for the brilliant, if sometimes lazy, exploits of Cesc Fabregas.
On paper the pair form one of the stronger midfield partnerships in the Premier League, with Kante's blend of pace, anticipation and ball-winning dovetailing nicely with Fabregas' skills on the ball.
It's further forward where things get a bit muddy.
This is where Conte could be tempted to scrap his 3-5-2 - at least for this summer.
Going with the formation means two of Chelsea's best players, Willian and Eden Hazard, are going to find it hard to get into the starting XI.
Hazard would definitely not be suited to a wing-back role, his lack of defensive awareness was a constant bugbear for former Jose Mourinho.
Although Willian has the skill set and work rate to fulfil the role, it would seem a waste of the Brazilian's talents to have him deep as often as a wing-back demands.
If Chelsea were to play in a 4-4-2/4-2-4 then Willian and Hazard could take up their usual roles on the wings.
Switch to 3-5-2 and it would mean moving Hazard into a more central role.
One might expect the Belgian to thrive in a more central role but he has had numerous chances, for club and country, to operate behind the striker and too often finds himself marked out of games.
The 25-year-old always seems much more comfortable when he's wide on the left and cutting into the middle.
Which two players fill the two striking positions is nothing more than an educated guess.
What we do know is that Michy Batshuayi has been signed for £33m from Marseille, so gets a place in this XI.
When the season starts he may be an (extremely) expensive reserve, depending on other moves in and out of west London.
Italy striker Graziano Pelle is another who could arrive, although the Southampton striker would very likely be an option from the bench rather than a regular starter.
Current first-choice striker Diego Costa looked set to leave the club after a miserable second season in Blue, but it has now been reported that the Spaniard wants to stay and play for Conte.
Costa may well still be sold, however.
Finally, that leaves Alvaro Morata. Chelsea continue to be strongly linked to the Spanish striker for a deal worth around £50m.
Conte has been a massive fan of Morata and was the manager to bring him from Real Madrid to Juventus - the Italian never got a chance to manage the striker as he quit ahead of his first season in Turin.
A reunion in west London seems highly likely, although it is unclear if Morata is to be a partner or replacement for Costa.