Chelsea manager Antonio Conte (Getty)

AC Milan have played down talk linking them with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.

The Italian coach has been persistently linked with a return to his homeland despite being just over a year into his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

A new contract signed in the summer, which improved his wages but did not extend the length of the deal, only fuelled speculation that he may move on before long.

Chelsea will be desperate for that not to happen considering the immense impact he’s had on the west London club which included winning the Premier League title and reaching the FA Cup final in his first season.

Conte is hugely popular among Chelsea fans (Getty)

Chelsea 2017/18 Fixtures

Newcastle (A) - Sun May 13

But speculation continues and among the clubs linked with Conte are AC Milan. But their director of football, Massimiliano Mirabelli, has dismissed the talk.

‘We already have a manager and we are not thinking of Conte nor about other managers,’ he told Radio Rossonera.

Conte’s current deal at Chelsea runs to the summer of 2019.

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