Maurizio Sarri, the favourite to replace Chelsea boss Conte, has been blocked from finalising his move to Stamford Bridge, it has been claimed.
The former Napoli manager Sarri was due to fly in and put pen to paper on a two-year deal.
But, according to Italian football journalist Raffaele Auriemma, he failed to board the plane to London after lawyers warned him he could face legal action if he made the trip.
Chelsea are said to have settled on a £4.4m (€5m) compensation package with Napoli for his services.
But Auriemma, speaking on Radio CRC, claims Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has not heard from the Premier League giants