Rumours are starting to emerge that Antonio Conte has been contacted by Juventus about a move next summer but it’s hard to imagine the Tottenham coach returning to Turin.
The Bianconeri are in a tough spot after their incredibly poor start to the season and pressure is starting to mount on coach Massimiliano Allegri. A meeting last week confirmed the coach’s position is safe for the time being, despite Pavel Nedved’s suggestions of dismissal, but this hasn’t stopped the rumour mill churning.
Dismissing Allegri and his staff would cost Juventus around €45m total and it’s obvious that a top coach like Conte wouldn’t come cheap, currently earning around €15m per season in North London. Things are also going well with Tottenham and he’s seemingly building a strong project with Fabio Paratici, although he doesn’t seem in a hurry to extend his contract with the North Londoners.
Conte is known to be very demanding with his transfers and it may be difficult for him to accept a return to Turin considering their restricted finances currently, especially when Tottenham seem willing to pick up his targets like Dejan Kulusevski.
The Italian coach also has a poor relationship with Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and history suggests that the bridge has been completely burnt. However, reports in the summer suggested that the Italian boss has an ‘excellent rapport’ with Juventus.
In 2019, Paratici and Nedved considered re-hiring Conte after Allegri was dismissed, but Agnelli rejected this idea and chose Maurizio Sarri instead.
During a match between Juventus and Inter in February 2021, the pair traded insults during the half-time break and after the full-time whistle, suggesting things haven’t improved over the years.