Reports have emerged over the reasons Tottenham abandoned talks to acquire the services of former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte.

According to Football Italia, Conte was not convinced by the Tottenham Hotspur proposal, and the Premier League club therefore ended the talks.

The situation was heading in that direction anyway, with Sky Sport Italia and others in Italy reporting throughout the last couple of days that the coach was increasingly cold on the idea.

He had left Inter by terminating his contract by mutual consent because he wanted more investment on the transfer market and for none of his title-winning squad to be sold, something the club could not guarantee.

Tottenham aren’t in a much more solid scenario either and Conte was afraid Harry Kane would be sold, badly weakening what was already not a strong group.

He also wanted a considerably higher salary package than was being offered, with a difference of circa €3m, according to Sky Sport Italia, and for more than four members of his staff to be brought in.

The Telegraph report that Tottenham have realised this is going nowhere and decided to pull the plug on negotiations.

Chelsea star Kai Havertz has hinted that he and Joachim Low have agreed he will be used as a forward player this summer at Euro 2020.

The Blues boss Thomas Tuchel deployed the youngster in a false nine role last season as Timo Werner and other strikers in the west London were misfiring in front of opponents’ goal.

Low will replicate same in the national team by potentially moving Havertz forward into the false nine role, which he has shown signs of promise in over the last few months for the Blues.

Havertz said: “I’m a creative player and feel at home in the final third. I think the coach pictures my role much in the same way I do.

“I hope that I can play my part to help us win games and get far in the tournament.”

With Havertz having confirmed that Low agrees on the position that the former prefers, it would suggest that he will be playing in a false nine role this summer for his country.

That is because Havertz recently admitted that he was beginning to find his feet in that position and felt it was best suited to him.

He told Sky Sports last month: “I would call it maybe a false nine. “I’m not the big guy in the middle like some strikers. I play the position a little bit different.

“That’s why it’s good we have a lot of quality players up front next to me, and it’s always easy to play with them.

“For me it’s a good position and I like it. I feel very comfortable there.

“I always like to go into the spaces and get the ball there and I like to play up front near to the goal, that’s also very good for me, so all in all I think I like the position and it suits me.”

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Arsenal goal machine, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabonese striker has been Arsenal’s most important player for the last three seasons and although the last campaign was a poor one for him, the Gunners still see him as an important part of their plans.

While Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage, Chelsea won the Champions League, reached the final of the FA Cup and finished inside the top four.

The Blues are looking to build on that and they have prioritised signing a new striker.

Timo Werner has continued to underperform and The Telegraph names Aubameyang as one striker that they are considering a move for.

It says that the Blues are impressed by his goal-scoring ability and they are looking to reunite him with Thomas Tuchel.

They previously worked together at Borussia Dortmund before Aubameyang left for the Gunners at the start of 2018.

The report says the Blues wanted to sign him last summer but considered that he was too old.

It then adds Tuchel can make a case for signing him by pointing at his goal record under his management which is impressive.

Olivier Giroud confirms he is ‘pleased’ to hear Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants him at Milan, but they remain ‘one option among others,’ even after his Chelsea extension.

The France international spoke to RMC Sport last night and was asked about the comments Ibrahimovic made urging him to join the San Siro giants.

“I like his character and the way he has of expressing himself, even if his outspokenness can be a little fiery at times,” replied Giroud.

“It’s good, I take it as extra motivation. I cannot talk about my future right now. Milan are one option among others. As I said, it’s always nice to hear Zlatan say that sort of thing.”

Zlatan had earlier claimed that the Rossoneri need someone like Olivier Giroud.

The Swede told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Giroud has the experience, and we don’t have many players who have won trophies. He’s welcome if he also arrives because everyone is helpful in this group. Everyone wants to learn.”

Olivier Giroud’s representatives say the Blues striker’s decision to join AC Milan has not changed, claiming that Chelsea acted unilaterally by extending the striker’s contract by one year..

The west London’s club director Marina Granovskaia said that an option to extend Olivier Giroud’s contract by one year was exercised in April this year.

But Giroud’s representatives, Michael Manuello, Luca Antonini and Ciro Morabito assure nothing has changed when it comes to joining Milan as a free agent.

They told Calciomercato.com: “Chelsea exercised a unilateral option, but with the promise he’d be released if there was an offer from a foreign club,”