Chelsea step up approach for Conte as next manager

The former Juventus manager's representatives will meet with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy on Thursday after with the 46-year-old set to leave his role with Italy this summer Chelseaare scheduled to hold talks with Italy coach Antonio Conteover a deal to become the Blues' new manager in the coming days,Goalunderstands. The Premier League champions have been looking for a permanent replacement for Jose Mourinho since his sacking in December, with Guus Hiddink having taken charge on an interim basis until the end of the season. Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo was in attendance at the Juventus Stadium as the Serie A champions took on Bayern Munich ahead of talks with Conte's representatives on Thursday. Conte - who was also in Turin to take in the Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday - is certain to leave his role as manager of the Azzurri following their Euro 2016 campaign this summer, and G oal understands he first met with the Chelsea hierarchy in January. He is keen to move back into club management having led Juve to to three straight Serie A titles and has been learning English in a bid to prepare himself for a Premier League move.


Conte has emerged as the front-runner for the vacant job in west London in recent weeks after rivals Diego Simeone and Massimiliano Allegri were unable to be tempted to join the 2012 Champions League winners. Simeone will remain with Atletico Madrid while Allegri is set to agree a new deal with Juventus having recently led them to a club-record 15 straight Serie A victories. Should talks be successful, Conte will be tasked with turning around Chelsea's fortunes following a nightmare defence of their league title which has seen them slide to 12th after 26 matches, w ith Hiddink admitting that his successor faces a difficult job in returning the club to the European elite.

LVG: Man Utd must get HORNY!

The Red Devils boss was asked whether his side should show the same desire as FC Midtjylland on Thursday but admitted he wanted even more from his players Manchester Unitedmanager Louis van Gaalhas issued a bizarre rallying cry to his side ahead of their crucial Europa League clash against FC Midtjylland. The Red Devils need to overturn a 2-1 deficit on Thursday if they are reach the last-16 of the competition, and Van Gaal has called on his players to lift their performance levels. Asked by reporters whether his side needed match the Danes' desire, he said: "You are right, your word is fantastic: Desire. Also, 'hungry' and a lot of times I use the word 'horny'." The veteran Dutch coach saw his side beat League One Shrewsbury Town 3-0 in the FA Cup on Monday, and he feels a similar display will see them secure victory for the second time in a week. "You hope that it is like that," he admitted when asked whether his side needed more fight than in Denmark last week. "They showed it against Shrewsbury Town also. "Players and managers want to fight for the victory, but players are human beings. You also are not always in the same shape or form. Despite an upturn in results, the 20-time English champions will head into the fixture with a lengthy injury list still to compete with, and the Dutchman confirmed that both David de Gea and Chris Smalling will definitely miss the clash. "It's the second day after a match, so I cannot say [the exact injuries] because we shall do everything to recover the players. "[Antonio] Valencia is not ready to play, [Adnan] Januzaj also. [Marcos] Rojo maybe, but that is dependable on other players. "I was hoping for [De Gea and Smalling to feature], but they shall not be involved. That is certain