Antonio Conte will be sack if he lose to Manchester United on sunday

But Conte has contradicted that claim and says he met, and spoke with, Abramovich last weekend, with the club’s recent matches the topic of conversation, not his job security. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United, Conte explained: ‘Yes, Mr Abramovich was in Cobham on Sunday after the Bournemouth game to watch the training, to speak. But this is normal.

Asked about what they spoke about, Conte continued: ‘Honestly we spoke about the Bournemouth game and the first game against Roma. We spoke about this.’ The report in Marca claimed all communications between manager and owner were going through Marina Granovskaia, a director who plays a large part in the team’s transfer business.

Relations strained after Conte’s mishandling of the Diego Costa situation, with Marca even suggesting the hunt has already begun for Conte’s successors. Conte and his Chelsea team will have an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding the club when Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge, with a win taking them just a point behind the Red Devils.