Antonio Conte hopes to receive confirmation that he will be Chelsea's next permanent manager before Italy's friendly against Spain on March 24.Conte, the Italy coach, is confident of landing the Chelsea job on a three-year contract ahead of other candidates for the post.His representatives have spoken with Chelsea bosses and talks will now continue as the Stamford Bridge club step up their attempts to secure a new man to take over from interim manager Guus Hiddink at the end of the season.story_article_left1With his Italian FA contract due to expire after this summer's European Championship, Conte would ideally like his future resolved before preparations for the tournament start in earnest with the next round of friendlies.Italy face Spain, then Germany five days later, and Conte would prefer to have confirmation of his Chelsea appointment before then so that the international games and his plans for the Euros are not overshadowed by speculation.The Italian FA had been planning to offer Conte a new contract to remain with the national team for the 2018 World Cup, but the 46-year-old is keen to return to club football with Chelsea.Chelsea have also carried out due diligence on Diego Simeone, Jorge Sampaoli and Massimiliano Allegri, but it appears Conte is the leading contender.The arrival of a new manager could offer a fresh chance at Chelsea for Juan Cuadrado, who has spent the season on loan at Juventus.Cuadrado had been expected to complete a permanent move to Juventus, which could still go through, but the 27-year-old may be given the chance to impress the new manager.story_article_right2Technical director Michael Emenalo was at the Champions League game between Juventus and Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, which caused speculation over possible meetings with Conte and summer moves for Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal.But Emenalo's principal reason for attending the game was to watch winger Cuadrado, who joined Chelsea in the January 2015 transfer window but made only 15 appearances before being loaned to Juventus.With Jose Mourinho now gone, Chelsea will be wary of the threat of selling Cuadrado and the Colombian proving a big hit elsewhere, following the success of players such as Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah.Chelsea are set to take part in a tournament in the US as part of their summer pre-season plans, despite the fact many of their players will go to the European Championship.In recent seasons, Chelsea have remained in Europe in international tournament years but they are close to confirming plans to compete in a friendly tournament in America.The Daily Telegraph, London..