Chelsea ban Conte from speaking to Barkley

LONDON: Antonio Conte was barred from speaking to Ross Barkley (pic) over his proposed move to Chelsea amid fears he would scupper the deal, it has been claimed.

Everton star Barkley was on the verge of making the switch to Stamford Bridge last week in a transfer deadline day £35mil (RM193mil) deal.

But The Times claims the club instructed Conte not to get involved in any negotiations with the England midfielder in case anything he said would put the move in jeopardy.

The Italian had earlier held extensive talks with Alex OxladeChamberlain about moving to the English Premier League champions, only for the Arsenal ace to reject the deal in favour of a switch to Liverpool.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was told he would be in direct competition with Victor Moses for the position of right wing-back in open and honest talks with the manager.

So Chelsea bosses decided to stop Conte from being involved in any of the negotiations – leaving technical director Michael Emenalo and club director Marina Granovskaia to take charge instead.

And that decision ultimately backfired on Chelsea when Barkley decided against making the switch from Goodison Park to stay on Merseyside.

It is believed the 23-year-old had a change of heart while he was making the journey down to London to undergo a medical – in part because of concerns over not being able to speak with the team manager.

The report claims Barkley wanted to speak directly to Conte about the Italian’s plans on where he would be used in his squad but a call never came, prompting the player to have doubts about making the move.

Chelsea and Conte have been at loggerheads throughout the summer over the club’s transfer dealings, with the manager unhappy at the way business was being conducted.

Now it has emerged he played little part in any of the negotiations taking place as the summer window drew to a close – including the £35mil capture of Danny Drinkwater from Leicester.

Barkley withdrew from the move having asked for more time to consider his options before committing to a long-term move to the capital.

Chelsea have made it clear they respect his decision and have signalled they would be willing to try to revive the move in the January transfer window.

But they could face competition from Tottenham Hotspur when the mid-season window re-opens and Barkley may then have other options available to him. — The Sun, London