Antonio Conte will consider taking a break if he is sacked as Chelsea head coach, which would be a blow to the club’s hopes of avoiding an expensive compensation package.

Conte has been left in the dark over his future since leading Chelsea to FA Cup success last Saturday, with a game of brinkmanship threatening to be played out.

The Italian has made it clear he will not walk away from the final year of his contract, meaning Chelsea must sack him and risk paying a compensation bill of up to £9million to replace him.

One simple solution to the impasse would be for Conte to walk straight into another job, but the potential options for him are running out. Roberto Mancini has taken over the Italian national team, Thomas Tuchel was appointed by Paris Saint-Germain and Max Allegri looks set to stay at Juventus.

Inter Milan are preparing to keep Luciano Spalletti after qualifying for the Champions League and Carlo Ancelotti is being touted as a possible replacement for Maurizio Sarri if the 59-year-old leaves Napoli.