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Conte believes 'several' options would open up if he leaves Chelsea

BEN STANSALL / AFP / Getty

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte isn't worried about his future if his club opts not to keep him for next season, saying there would be "several different scenarios" he could consider if he leaves Stamford Bridge.

Conte guided the Blues to a 1-1 draw against Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League round of 16, and now faces a second-leg test at the Camp Nou. Despite the successful first leg, Conte is still not assured of his role with the club in the future. But, the Italian tactician expressed confidence that he'll be fine with whatever develops in the coming months.

"In 14 years, Chelsea have changed coach 10 times, so they do have a tendency to chop and change here," Conte told Mediaset Premium, as quoted by the Guardian's Dominic Fifield.

"The media plays on this when the results are negative, and they were already talking about me getting sacked after we lost the first game of the season to Burnley.

"But it's no problem for me. In fact, I really like pressure. I just hope it doesn't affect the players. In our line of work, we always have a bag packed. My intention is to remain here, but if something were to change, there would be several different scenarios opening up."

Already, Conte has been linked with a return to the Italy managerial job, a role left vacant after the Azzurri crashed out of 2018 World Cup qualifying under now-sacked boss Gian Piero Ventura. Fifield reported that Conte could also receive interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Internazionale at the club level, too.

But Conte isn't thinking about anything concrete at the moment.

"I have said very clearly that I have a contract to 2019 and I intend to respect it, but anything can happen in football," he said. "I'm happy here but, to move forward with the marriage, everyone needs to be in agreement. All parties must be happy."

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