Antonio Conte latest: Italian FA comments; Abramovich to provide £130m warchest; new technical director, too?

With all the momentum behind the Conte-Chelsea story over the last couple days -- he or least his representatives are supposed to start hashing out the details of his Chelsea contract on Thursday (three years, according to the Express) -- it's starting to look like this thing might actually be happening*.  Nobody seems to know for sure of course; everything's an echo of an echo of someone else's understandings.  But that's just how things go.  Meanwhile, the chief of the Italian FA, you know, Conte's current employers, is an oblivious rock.

"There is no news about the coach's future. This means that for us nothing has changed."

-Carlo Tavecchio, FIGC president; source: Mediagol via ESPN

So that's not very useful.  Of course, "nothing changed" just means that Conte will not sign a new contract with Italy and leave the national team after Euro 2016.  The FIGC are rumored to be looking at Roberto Mancini for that upcoming vacancy.

But back to the matter we care about.  Breaking with club tradition, many sources claim that Chelsea could announce the new coach before the season's out, perhaps as soon as next month, or even this week!  Maybe in the next ten minutes!?  Better check breaking news!

Nope, no new coach.

Yet.

We could however be getting a two-for-one if some stories are to be believed, as Conte apparently wants not just several marquee signings, but a new technical director as well.  Which would be especially ironic as it was supposedly Michael Emenalo who went to Turin earlier this week to possibly meet with Conte (and check out Juventus vs. Bayern in person).  Though I suppose Conte's man, current Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini, could come to work with Emenalo rather than replace the man who's been shoved out in front of the curtain to be pelted with tomatoes from the audience.

To make Sabatini's and Conte's jobs easier, Abramovich is apparently ready to take a hammer to the piggy-bank, which has swelled to a healthy £130m, and is ready to go to a bidding war with other European powers' (and China's!) millions. The Sun only name John Stones as one of the four incoming "superstars", but the likes of Pogba, Nainggolan, or Vidal (all linked recently) would represent mouthwatering additions to our midfield, to be sure.

* Meanwhile, Allegri is apparently getting close to a new Juve contract while Diego Simeone doesn't want to discuss plans until the summer.  You snooze, you lose, Diego!