Chelsea have suffered a blow in their search for a successor to Antonio Conte, with Diego Simeone making it known that he does not want to be considered for the head coach’s job at Stamford Bridge.

The Times revealed last month that the Atletico Madrid coach had emerged as Chelsea’s preferred option as they made contingency plans, with the Premier League champions and Conte expected to part company this summer.

Yesterday, though, Conte reaffirmed his intention to see out the remaining year and a half on his contract.

Simeone has made it clear through intermediaries that he does not see his future at Chelsea. He has two and a half years left on his contract at Atletico and will either stay to undertake what is