Chelsea have sacked Antonio Conte, according to reports emerging on Thursday.

The club are yet to make an official announcement, and it is thought they are waiting until they can confirm Maurizio Sarri as Conte’s replacement, along with the signing of Napoli midfielder Jorginho.

Conte won the 2016-17 Premier League title in his first season with Chelsea after installing his revolutionary 3-5-2 formation.

However, things began to unravel last season as a poor transfer window saw the relationship between club and manager strained, and their title defence never quite got going.

Though he won the FA Cup in May, his fate seemed to have been sealed long before then as his exacting style began to frustrate both his players and the club hierarchy.

However, his departure has been delayed by Chelsea’s struggles to name a replacement, as Napoli have played hardball over Sarri, demanding that the Blues pay the £7million buyout that is part of the Italian’s contract with the Serie A club.

Conte was still in place as Chelsea’s pre-season began this week, and he took charge of the initial training sessions.

Cesc Fabregas ‘liked’ a message welcoming Conte’s departure on Twitter, later apologising and suggesting he had pressed the button in error.

He then wrote on Twitter: “Thank you Mister for another Premier League title and FA Cup. It wasn’t easy for me to convince you in the beginning but in the end I hope I did you proud! Good luck for the future.”