Former Juventus manager Antonio Conte has dismissed reports that he is set to replace Laurent Blanc as coach of Paris Saint-Germain, saying that the stories are “devoid of any truth”.

“I learned in a newspaper, while I was on holiday, that there was apparently contact between what was vaguely described as ‘my entourage’ and PSG,” Conte told Italian news agency Ansa.

“Not having an agent or an entourage and the news being devoid of any truth, I am amazed at the ease with which it was published.”

Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport reported on Wednesday that Conte was close to signing a deal with the French champions, who the paper claims have lost faith in current manager Blanc.

PSG then denied that they had held any talks with Conte, saying to sports newspaper L’Equipe they believed the story was leaked by Conte’s representatives in order to put pressure on another club in Italy that he was in talks with.

Conte resigned as Juventus coach last week after three years in charge in which he won three straight league titles and re-established the club as the team to beat in Serie A.

He was quickly replaced by Massimiliano Allegri.

The 44-year-old is hotly tipped to be named the new coach of the Italian national team after Cesare Prandelli stepped down following Italy’s embarrassing group stage exit from this summer’s World Cup.