Antonio Conte Holds Talks Over Juventus Return as Massimiliano Allegri Faces Uncertain Future

Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has held 'preliminary negotiations' over a potential return to Juventus at the end of the season.

The 49-year-old has been out of work since July, when Maurizio Sarri was brought in to Stamford Bridge to succeed his compatriot just weeks after Conte's success in the FA Cup.

But Conte could find himself back in the dugout in familiar territory next season as Sky Sports report that Serie A champions Juventus have held talks with the Italian head coach over his availability.

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The Bianconeri were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday following a shock defeat to Ajax, becoming the third European heavyweight to fall short against the Dutch outfit - Bayern Munich drew with De Godenzonen twice during the group stages, while Real Madrid were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

And it's their continued failure to end a now 23-year wait for the Champions League that has put the future of manager Massimiliano Allegri under the spotlight once again.

Allegri has spent the last five years in Turin, winning the domestic double in his first four, and he still has one year left on his contract with Juventus.

But the club now appear to be looking for a change of direction as they scramble to assemble a team which can go all the way in the Champions League.

In Conte, who is also attracting interest from Inter, Juventus would be getting a familiar face back in Turin who had great success with the club during his two spells in charge between 2011 and 2014.

His time with the Bianconeri was Conte's last in club management before he was appointed as the manager of the Italian national team, while he went on to become a Premier League champion at Chelsea after his two-year spell of international duty.