Antonio Conte only focused on Chelsea amid fresh Inter Milan links

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 11 May 2017

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists that it is vital he and his players remain focused on the Premier League title, rather than letting speculation distract them.

Antonio Conte has reiterated that he is only focused on the Chelsea job after being strongly linked with a return to Italy with Inter Milan.

The 47-year-old is on the brink of marking his first club campaign outside of Italian football with a Premier League title, while also having an FA Cup final with Arsenal to look forward to.

Conte has constantly been linked with Inter in recent times due to supposedly feeling homesick and, following Tuesday's sacking of head coach Stefano Pioli, it has been suggested that the Chelsea boss - along with Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone - is high on the Nerazzurri's wishlist.

Speaking ahead of Friday's meeting with West Bromwich Albion, however, a match that could see the West London club officially crowned champions with victory, Conte stressed that he has not been distracted by the speculation.

"I repeat what I said before - I have a contract for another two years with Chelsea, but also I like to repeat in this moment, for me and my players, the important thing is to be focused on the moment," he told reporters. "The moment is very important.

"It's not important the single person - me, or the future for the players. Now we must be focused on the next few games and try to reach this fantastic target. I think it's right.

"It's normal to have a lot of speculation around my players and the coaches, different coaches, so it's important not to lose the concentration and be focused. The moment is fantastic for us, and I want to transfer this message."

Conte has previously lifted three league titles during his time with Juventus in Serie A.