Italyplot arescue raidfor Antonio

ITALY are determined to rescue Antonio Conte from his Chelsea nightmare and put him back in charge of the Azzurri.

AC Milan and Italy legend Alessandro Costacurta has been tasked with finding the coach to resurrect the national team after they missed out on World Cup qualification.

And in his role as Italian Football Federation vice-commissioner, Costacurta reckons Conte is the only man for the job.

Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri have been touted for the post but Costacurta wants the man who led Italy from 2014-16 to return.

He said: “Conte has already shown he knows how to be national team coach while others haven’t.

“I think Conte is the one who could do the best. I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy with Mancini or with Ancelotti, although (Ancelotti) seems to have removed himself from consideration.

“Or the same with Ranieri, who had a difficult experience with Greece but came out stronger and went to Leicester.”

Conte is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season with the club out of the title race and facing a fight to get back into the top four.

The IFF want Conte back after their shambolic World Cup campaign – which resulted in Giampiero Ventura being axed.

Conte led Italy to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 before leaving for the Blues.

He inspired an underperforming Chelsea team to the Premier League title in his debut campaign.

But his relationship with the club has broken down following a failure to back him in the transfer market.