Conte was dismissed by Chelsea in July with 12 months left on his contract

Chelsea’s legal battle with Antonio Conte over the former head coach’s severance package could end up in the High Court after a Premier League managers’ arbitration tribunal was appointed to rule on the matter.

Despite months of wrangling between their legal teams, both parties have yet to agree the terms of the Italian’s payoff. Conte was dismissed by Chelsea in July after two years at Stamford Bridge with 12 months left on his contract. The increasingly bitter dispute will now be considered by a three-person tribunal.

This is the first legal recourse for any dispute relating to an employment contract. If either party refuses to accept the tribunal’s ruling, the judgment can then be challenged in the High Court.

The 49-year-old’s lawyers have argued that