Massimiliano Allegri emerges as Chelsea target

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 22 December 2015

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri emerges as a candidate to take over at Chelsea should they be unsuccessful in their pursuit of Pep Guardiola or Diego Simeone.

Chelsea have reportedly earmarked Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri as a contender to become the club's new manager at the end of the season.

The Blues have been heavily linked with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone as the permanent successor to Jose Mourinho, who parted company with the club last week following nine defeats in his opening 16 Premier League games of the campaign.

Guardiola has already confirmed that he will be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the 2015-16 season, although a number of clubs, including Manchester City, are understood to be interested in the Spaniard.

Simeone, meanwhile, has insisted that he is happy at Atletico Madrid, forcing Roman Abramovich to consider other targets should his two preferred choices turn him down.

According to the Evening Standard, Allegri is next in line having impressed the Stamford Bridge hierarchy by guiding Juventus to the domestic double and the Champions League final last season.

Allegri has also previously won the Serie A title with AC Milan, and has twice been named the Italian top flight's manager of the year.

Italy boss Antonio Conte, whom Allegri replaced at Juve, has also been linked with the job once Guus Hiddink's interim reign ends this summer.