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LONDON. – Antonio Conte is on collision course with Chelsea’s money men over the club’s January transfer targets. And the Blues boss will bluntly tell his top brass: Splash out when the window opens, or risk ending the season potless.

The Italian coach has made clear he needs reinforcements in the New Year to come to the rescue of a threadbare squad he suggests has just 17-18 senior pros. In particular, Conte is desperate for a striker, with Chelsea’s lack of options painfully exposed at Everton, where his side dominated the game, but without suspended Alvaro Morata, embarrassingly failed to find the net.

The former Juve manager has already given up on the title, with Manchester City out of sight at the top of the Premier League, and with a daunting showdown with Barcelona waiting in the Champions’ League, he knows he needs quality additions in January.

And the Stamford Bridge boss explained he will spend the next fortnight urging his paymasters to deliver the signings he needs to give them silverware back in return.

“It is not the right time now to talk about who we will sign and I don’t want to have this conversation in public.’’ – The Mirror.