Antonio Conte is ready to tell the Italian Football Federation he will be joining Chelsea this summer.
The 46-year-old has been in talks with the Blues for weeks and has already verbally agreed terms on a £18million three-year contract.
Conte is out of contract with the Azzurri after the European Championships in France and is looking for a return to club management.
Sources in Italy claim he will reveal his decision to bosses this afternoon before Federation chiefs meet in Florence tomorrow afternoon.
An agreement has already been reached between Chelsea and Conte over the terms of his deal and he has been busy picking his backroom team in the past week.
Formal confirmation of the appointment is expected to be made later this week, although some reports have suggested an announcement could be made on Monday.
While this timescale may prove too quick for a formal rubber stamping of the deal, major developments are expected in the coming hours.
Conte’s trusted assistants Angelo Alessio and Massimo Carrera are nailed on to join the former Juventus manager at Chelsea and could be followed by two more new faces.
Scouts Mauro Sandreani and Gianluca Conte, brother of the Blues target, are candidates while Steve Holland is expected to remain part of any restructured coaching setup.
The Blues are keen to make a swift appointment in the wake of a disastrous few days which have seen the club knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup.
Roman Abramovich will make significant funds available to the Italian to rebuild a team devoid of confidence after their worst season under his ownership.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink will officially step down from his post in May after stepping into the breach following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December.
Chelsea return to action in the Premier League against West Ham this weekend.
Read more: Who is Chelsea managerial candidate Antonio Conte?
