According to reports, Antonio Conte is due to meet Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich within the next seven days to sign a three-year contract that will make him the new permanent manager at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have refused to comment on the whole saga, but it is becoming clearer every day that the club’s hierarchy have found Jose Mourinho’s long-term successor.

While Guus Hiddink has been able to steady the ship after a shocking start to the season and a real relegation battle in late December, there are still many things that need to be fixed.

Here are the FIVE most important jobs for Antonio Conte before he leads his Chelsea team into the 2016/17 campaign in August.

1) Keeping Diego Costa

It is no secret that Diego Costa doesn’t feel fully settled in England and stories about a possible return to Atletico Madrid have already emerged. Despite his unhappiness off the pitch, he is on top of his game right now and Chelsea would lose a very passionate player if he were to leave.

The striker has scored 31 Premier League goals since moving to West London in 2014 and has been vital to the club’s success last season and this season’s revival.

Whether he wants a fancy new Surrey home or a climate change in the UK, Chelsea and their new manager have to do whatever it takes to stop the Spaniard from leaving.

2) New contract for John Terry

Chelsea have not been too kind to their legends in recent years, which has had a negative impact on the team’s performances on the pitch, especially this season.

Eyebrows were raised when the club axed Frank Lampard in 2013 and when it was revealed a few weeks ago that John Terry was facing a similar fate, fans could not believe what they were hearing.

Terry knows the club inside out and it must be Antonio Conte’s priority to convince Roman Abramovich and his board that the captain still has a crucial role to play, whether that is on the pitch or in the dressing room.

3) Play the youth

Chelsea have reportedly requested assurances that their new manager is keen to give the club’s youngsters a chance.

Having seen the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku excel elsewhere, they are more determined than ever to see this record-breaking, golden generation of academy graduates make an impact at Stamford Bridge

Antonio Conte signed Paul Pogba as a 19-year old and handed him 37 appearances in his first season with Juventus. Chelsea's board and fans will expect a similar kind of development for the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

4) Show Abramovich who is in charge

Too many times Roman Abramovich has interfered with the club’s transfer business and that finally needs to stop.

Andrea Pirlo recently warned the Chelsea owner that you need to let Antonio Conte get on with things; let him sign and get rid of the players he wants and let him play his football.

The Italian needs to stamp his authority on the club from the start, by showing who is boss. Whether that will eventually backfire is another matter.

5) Replace deadwood with quality

Some of last season’s top performers simply haven’t turned up this campaign and, at this stage of the season, you have to question their commitment.

Antonio Conte will have already had a look at the squad he will inherit in the summer and some of the deadwood he will be hoping to offload before the start of his first season in charge.

The last couple of transfer windows have not been great for Chelsea - one of the main reasons Jose Mourinho struggled so much and eventually got sacked - and it is crucial they back their new manager with quality signings during the transfer window.