The news that Antonio Conte may yet face a six-month ban for his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal back in the 2010/11 season while he was manager of Siena must be put to one side, because it's almost transfer silly season.
Yes, the predicted lineups and gossip are set to return with a bang next season, as Premier League spending will hit new heights thanks to the financial boost of the new TV deal, so expect cash to be thrown around and eyebrows to be raised all summer long.
But the imaginary spending has already begun for some in Italy, as Gazzetta Dello Sport are claiming that Anotnio Conte will switch Chelsea to a 3-5-2 formation (which to be fair is probably true, as he is as big a fan of that formation as everyone was of the 4-2-2-2 in Pro Evolution Soccer 5) and sign half of Serie A.
Well, maybe not half, but apparently Chelsea are going to sign five Serie A players to make Conte's system work:
So that is singing Paul Pogba and Leonardo Bonnuci from Juve, Radja Naiggolan and Antonio Rudiger from Roma, and Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli, while also converting Eden Hazard to a striker and operating with wing-backs in Azpilicueta and Kenedy.
Gazzetta also claim that shipping Diego Costa out will be a priority as the Spaniard does not fit Conte's style.
It's quite creative, as at the moment it looks like Paul Pogba in particular is happy to stay where he is, but there will be massive changes to Chelsea under Conte, and the idea of bringing five new first team players into the club is certainly not that wild of an idea.
Brace yourselves, Chelsea fans, the transfer rumours are coming.
