Chelsea close to hiring top European manager after crisis talks with Conte

He could be out the door very soon.

Chelsea appear set to sack Antonio Conte in the next few days with former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique waiting to take his place in the Chelsea dugout. Monday night's 4-1 away defeat to Watford could be the final nail in the coffin for Conte, whose relationship with his employers has become increasingly sour over the course of the season. According to the Daily Mail, the club are holding talks with Conte today to discuss his future. There were signs that this would not be a long-lasting relationship when Chelsea rewarded Conte for his title winning campaign with a pay rise but not a contract extension. His current contract runs out at the end of next season but it looks like Chelsea will let him go much sooner. Chelsea look a shadow of the team who were crowned Premier League champions last season thanks to their fluid football in a 3-4-3 system that got the best out of their key players. Recruitment over the summer was disappointing; Tiémoué Bakayoko has not performed to the standard expected of him and Álvaro Morata's form took a nosedive before he picked up an injury. Conte has complained of the board not signing the players he wanted, but the club did appear to back him in January, bringing in Ross Barkley, Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud. Despite this, he could be relieved of his duties in the next few days after two consecutive demoralising defeats to Bournemouth and Watford which have left them fourth in the table with Spurs breathing down their neck, just one point behind. https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/960645044377092096 Previous Chelsea managers Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo were both sacked after losing to West Brom. Who do Chelsea play next? West Brom of course. According to Diario Sport, Luis Enrique is the man tipped to replace Antonio Conte. The former Barcelona boss is not currently employed by any club after he left Barcelona last summer. During his time at the Camp Nou, he won a treble in the 2014-15 season with the deadly trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar in attack. Should Enrique take over at Chelsea, it could see the end of the 3-4-3 formation which has accommodated players like Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz so well, while also freeing Eden Hazard of defensive responsibility. Sport suggest that former Chelsea and Barcelona full-back Juliano Belletti will be appointed Sporting Director at Stamford Bridge too. Chelsea's former technical director Michael Emenalo resigned from his post back in November despite Roman Abramovich's pleas for him to stay. Chelsea face the daunting task of taking on Barcelona in the first round of Champions League knockout games next week, which could see Luis Enrique face up against his successor at Barcelona, Ernesto Valverde, if Chelsea do go ahead and hire him.