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Antonio Conte's future at Chelsea remains in question, with the Premier League winning manager and the club's hierarchy at odds over strategy for the coming season.

The notoriously demanding Italian has yet to sign a contract extension first mooted by his employers in early 2017, and has made it be known that he could walk out on the London club should key concerns go unresolved.

Aside from the embarrassment of losing an individual who has just secured the English title at the first attempt, an exit from Conte would leave Chelsea in the difficult position of securing a suitable replacement at short notice.

(Image: Reuters)

With most of European football's premier coaches currently in employment, the club may look to Thomas Tuchel following his recent “separation” from Borussia Dortmund.

Conte's conflict with Chelsea is centred upon - but not solely limited to - the construction of conditions to win the Champions League.

The Italian believes his personal ambition to secure Europe's most important club trophy as a coach cannot realistically be achieved without marked improvements to his working conditions.

Foremost amongst these is a demand for substantial transfer market investment in all areas of a squad which Conte has publicly argued is not fit for the purpose of defending the Premier League title while simultaneously competing with Europe's elite.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

According to sources close to the 47-year-old, he also believes his employers “owe” him an aggressive spend on new players after failing to deliver on requested targets in his two preceding windows at the club.

Additionally, Conte is said to have asked for: 1) A direct line of communication to Roman Abramovich and the owner's first line of command at the club, director Marina Granovskaia. 2) Power over the appointment of assistant coaches with the replacement of Steve Holland a priority. 3) Full control over Chelsea's academy as a condition of becoming personally involved in the club's youth ranks, including the freedom to introduce a new academy chief. 4) Improved financial terms.

(Image: PA)

The contract Conte entered into upon swapping Italy's national team for Chelsea last year runs until 2019.

Although the club briefed journalists several months ago that an extension would be formalised at the end of the Italian's successful first season, the proposed new deal remains unannounced.

Conte has a history of walking away from jobs shortly after winning a League title, having done exactly that at Juventus. In the summer of 2014, he resigned as manager during pre-season after Italy's most affluent club declined to recruit the players Conte considered essential for a successful Champions League campaign.

Chelsea's own track record of supporting managers following recent title successes also bodes poorly.

(Image: Getty Images)

In the summer of 2010, Carlo Ancelotti's reward for winning the Premier League at his first attempt was to have his own requests for reinforcement ignored in favour of Abramovich signings Ramires and Yossi Benayoun; coupled with an instruction to promote five players from Chelsea's infamously unproductive academy.

When Jose Mourinho brought the title back to west London five seasons later following a net negative spend on transfer fees, the club again declined to act on the incumbent manager's recruitment advice.

Instead of delivering the Champions League-quality centre back prioritised by Mourinho, Granovskaia and technical director Michael Emenalo signed Papy Djilobodji and Michael Hector, while approving just one fee of over £20m - the rushed end-of-window purchase of Pedro from Barcelona.