Antonio Conte faces the threat of having to wait even longer to find out his Chelsea fate while Real Madrid search for a new manager.

But that has not stopped David Luiz supporting Laurent Blanc’s bid to replace Conte at Stamford Bridge, as lawyers debate Maurizio Sarri’s contract stand-off with Napoli.

Luiz fears he will be forced to quit Chelsea if Conte remains in his post, but believes he could resurrect his Blues career under Blanc, who he played for at Paris Saint-Germain.

Real are looking for a successor to Zinedine Zidane and Chelsea head coach Conte has been installed among the favourites for the post.

But even if they look elsewhere, Real’s decision may have a knock-on effect that opens up a new possibility for Conte, who has been left in the dark over Chelsea’s intentions.

Chelsea have delayed a decision over whether or not to sack Conte, with the club reluctant to pay the Italian up to £9million to go.

The Blues would be spared having to pay Conte any compensation if he walked straight into another job and Zidane’s decision to quit Real opens up the possibility of a merry-go-round.