Antonio Conte is increasingly likely to leave Inter, according to a report in the Italian media today.
As per FcInterNews.it, the Nerazzurri have assured that no decision has been taken yet regarding Conte’s future, but the situation hasn’t changed.
Conte doesn’t want to lose his key players, but Inter are likely to sell two of them – in a bid to balance the books – while trying to reduce their wage bill by 20%.
Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio are working to rescue the solution at the last moment, but a separation seems more likely as things stand.
Conte is less and less likely to stay at Inter the more time passes without a compromise being found, the report explained.
Inter’s directors need to make sure they can find a replacement if he leaves, and coaches will soon be in short supply as everyone sorts themselves out for next season.
Conte remains Inter’s plan A, but there is little sign of him meeting Steven Zhang and sorting out their differences.
There would still be a chance to continue together if Inter could reach a compromise solution – perhaps sacrificing a player who is slightly less key than others – otherwise a separation is inevitable.
Inter are considering offering a mutual termination agreement to Conte, but there’s no guarantee he would accept their proposal.
It depends what fee they offer to Conte, because Conte would want €9 million from his €13.5 million annual salary while Inter will only propose €6.5 million.
Conte has never considered the idea of a contract extension on reduced wages, because all he is interested in is guiding Inter next season with a competitive team.
The parties haven’t completely burned their bridges yet but we are ‘80%’ likely to have a departure, and there is a risk the separation agreement won’t be easy to reach.