Tottenham are making a big push to try and convince Antonio Conte to move to north London and have reportedly offered the Inter boss an enormous salary that dwarfs his current pay packet.
Despite guiding Inter to the Serie A title this season reports emerged on Monday that the 51-year-old had become disillusioned with the club’s financial situation – and a likely lack of investment this summer – and could leave within 48 hours.
But now Italian newspaper La
Stampa claim there is a different reason motivating Conte to leave: a mammoth
offer to return to the Premier League with Spurs.
Although the north Londoners finished just seventh last season, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has proposed a contract offer worth as much as £17million-a-year.
That dwarfs the salary Conte is on
at the moment, around £11m-a-year, while the club are under no pressure to sell
players and have promised significant investment in recruitment so Conte can
shape the squad how he sees fit.
Although Spurs will be playing in
the Europa Conference League next season, while Inter are in the Champions
League, Conte feels Tottenham have put forward a convincing proposal.
Inter may yet be able to convince
Conte to stay, but the Italian club are pushing forward with a squad-wide
salary cut and are expected to cash in on at least one key player – something
which has left Conte disenchanted.
He enjoyed living in London when
in charge of Chelsea and is open to a return, though Real Madrid have also made
a tentative approach should Zinedine Zidane step down. Such is their fear Conte
will leave, Inter are already looking at replacements and have already spoken
to both Simone Inzaghi and Massimiliano Allegri.
Spurs chief Levy feels he needs a
high-profile appointment to ensure Harry Kane remains at the club and Conte
would certainly provide that, while the former Italy and Juventus boss has been
glowing in his praise of the striker in the past.
Speaking in 2017, he said of the
Tottenham forward: ‘For me, Kane, now, is one of the best strikers in the
world. If I had to buy one striker I would go to Kane.
He is a complete striker. ‘He is
strong physically, with the ball, without the ball, he fights and he’s strong
in the air and acrobatic on the right and the left.
He’s a complete player. ‘He’s one
of the top strikers in the world. If you go to buy Kane now it would be at
least £100m. At least. For me, if I see this price for a striker I know for
sure he’s a big striker.’
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