Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has revealed that he failed in an attempt to sign Antonio Conte at Fiorentina.

The Foxes’ manager wanted to bring the current Chelsea manager to the Stadio Artemio Franchi when Conte was playing for Juventus. It was part of a double raid as he targeted Angelo di Livio, who eventually joined Fiorentina in 1999, two years after Ranieri had left the club.

Ranieri faces Conte when Chelsea visit the King Power Stadium for their EFL Cup third-round clash on Tuesday evening and admitted he is a big fan of the 47-year-old.

“I have known him a long time,” he said. “When I was Fiorentina manager, he played for Juventus and I wanted to bring him and Di Livio in, but it wasn’t possible. I then watched him when he was manager at Siena, and together we were at national teams with Greece and Italy.

“He is a nice boy, a hard worker, a good mentality, a strong mentality.”

The last time the pair faced each other as managers, Ranieri was sacked by Inter Milan following a 2-0 defeat by Conte’s Juventus in March 2012.

Conte was appointed Chelsea boss in the summer, after managing Italy at Euro 2016, and lost his first game on Friday when his side slipped to a 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League. But Ranieri had some advice to offer.

“Just understand the league: it’s different from Italy, and less tactical, but every time it’s a battle,” he said. “You never know when you start what the result will be, because anything could happen in the Premier League. The last 10 minutes are the more important.”

Hero’s welcome

Ranieri hopes N’Golo Kante will get a hero’s welcome when he makes his first return to the King Power Stadium since his €37 million transfer to Chelsea during the summer.

The French midfielder was the only key member of the title-winning team to leave the King Power Stadium following their shock success, while Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Kasper Schmeichel all signed new contracts.

“I am very happy and I will give to him a very warm welcome back, and I am sure also our fans, they must appreciate what he did last season and give him a warm welcome,” he said.

“I will be very happy if our fans clap him at the beginning and afterwards he is an enemy.

“They must understand that when arrives a big team, it is difficult to say no. For this reason I say thank you to Jamie Vardy and his family, and to Riyad, when they decided to stay here. For us, it was important to maintain everybody.

“[Kante] was very important for us and I think he was even more important for us than at Chelsea, because Chelsea have so many big players.”

Hazard confident

Meanwhile, Chelsea star Eden Hazard is confident that Antonio Conte will inspire Chelsea to recover from the defeat to Liverpool.

Hazard appears rejuvenated under the Italian, and after a disappointing 2015-16 season he believes Conte’s communication and motivation skills are key.

“He’s a top guy, he tries to speak a lot with the players, to talk a lot, and we are pleased to work with him,” the 25-year-old told Chelsea TV.

“He has the passion to do his job. He gives everything on the bench and we try to give everything on the pitch.

“During games I try to stay focused, but sometimes when I watch the game the day after [on television], I see him. He’s a little bit crazy sometimes on the bench.”

Conte’s arrival has also led to a resurgence in the form of Diego Costa and was followed by the summer recruitment of David Luiz and Michy Batshuayi, among others.

Ankle and anterior cruciate ligament injuries to John Terry and Kurt Zouma mean Luiz is likely to retain his place after making his first appearance back at the club against Liverpool.

Hazard is as optimistic about his potential contribution as he is about what Costa has already provided and the progress Batshuayi is making.

“Everybody is happy to see [Luiz] back,” he said. “On the pitch, he is a warrior. He brings that mentality. He wants to win everything. This is what we need.

“Diego is [also] a top player, he is on the pitch to score goals, he has the desire to score a goal every game, and it’s always good to play with him. He’s sharp.”