Antonio Conte could take Chelsea to High Court in huge £9m pay-off row

ANTONIO CONTE and Chelsea could take their row over his £9million settlement to the High Court.

The Premier League and FA Cup-winning manager was sacked by the West London club last summer and negotiations over a settlement have been in gridlock for months.

Conte, 49, was relieved of his duties with 12 months left on his contract in July and the next step is to take the case to the Premier League's manager's arbitration tribunal, according to the .

If both sides fail to settle on a sum, the case could be taken to the High Court.

Chelsea are arguing that his behaviour put him in breach of contract, after his working relationships with senior members of the Blues board hit rock bottom during his second year in charge.

The fiery Italian and his representatives believe he is due his final year's salary and did not breach his contract, while he has not been able to pick up another job in the meantime.

Conte's Blues romped to the Premier League title during his first year in charge, winning a stunning 15 matches in a row during the first half of the season, which was ended with a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.

Chelsea ended up winning the title by ten points from Arsenal in second place.

And his final match in charge was particularly sweet as they beat former Blues boss Jose Mourinho's Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

Conte's fellow Italian Maurizio Sarri was drafted into replace him in the summer, but the former Napoli boss has failed to get the Blues challenging for the title.

They are currently sixth and three points off Arsenal in fourth place.