Antonio Conte decides to STAY at Inter Milan following showdown meeting with club president Steven Zhang as they ‘lay foundations to keep working together’ despite Massimiliano Allegri waiting in the wings to take over
- Antonio Conte will remain as the Inter Milan manager for the next two years
- The decision was made following a ‘constructive meeting’ with Steven Zhang
- Conte is keen to create a strong bond with Zhang as he praises his enthusiasm
- The pair decided that they could sell Milan Skriniar to raise funds for an overhaul
Antonio Conte will remain as the Inter Milan manager for the next two years after having a ‘constructive meeting’ with the club’s president, Steven Zhang.
During the face-to-face conversation, Conte was impressed with Zhang’s enthusiasm and agreed to work together ‘on the club’s project’ going forwards.
Conte is determined to create a strong bond with the president, as an official statement from the club claims that the ‘two parties have laid the foundations to continue working together’.
Antonio Conte has agreed to stay as the Inter Milan manager for the new two years
After discussing the club’s future plans with Zhang, Conte is said to be confident in Inter’s project and believes the appropriate steps forward have been taken.
One of those steps includes the potential appointment of Gianluca Petrachi as their sporting director if current sporting director Piero Ausilio leaves.
Petrachi and Conte have a close relationship, with the Italian being a primary advocate of Conte’s appointment as the Inter Milan manager.
During Conte and Zhang’s meeting, the pair also agreed on the potential sale of defender Milan Skriniar to raise the funds for a squad overhaul.
The 25-year-old, who has enjoyed an impressive season at the San Siro, could be offloaded for around £52.5million.
Skriniar, capped 31 times by his country, has asserted himself at the heart of Inter’s backline over the past three seasons after joining from Sampdoria for £30m in July 2017.
But it is believed Conte wants the funds to buy his own central defender, as well as a striker to support Romelu Lukaku.
The decision comes following a ‘constructive meeting’ with the club president Steven Zhang
The pair decided that they could sell defender Milan Skriniar to raise funds for squad overhaul
Should Conte have decided to leave, it would have caused financial turmoil for the club as he would have expected full monetary compensation.
The Italian coach had previously admitted after Friday night’s Europa League final defeat by Sevilla that he could depart the San Siro this summer after just one trophyless season in charge.
Conte fell out with the Inter hierarchy over the course of the campaign and had a public and aggressive rant against the board after the Nerazzurri missed out on the top-flight title to Juventus by just a point last month.
Though it is believed that Zhang has given Conte a vote of confidence, claiming he is ‘very happy with his first season’ in charge.
Conte wants the funds to buy a striker that can accompany Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku