Antonio Conte 'ready to talk' with Man Utd board about replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2021 by Express.co.uk

Exclusive: Antonio Conte is now actively anticipating a phone call from Manchester United as the Red Devils carefully consider sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Antonio Conte is "ready to talk" to Manchester United should they decide to begin the search for a new manager, a source close to the Italian has told Express Sport. Talks regarding the future of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford are understood to have taken place at boardroom level on Monday afternoon in the aftermath of Sunday's humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

A source close to Conte's camp has now confirmed to Express Sport that he is ready to answer the phone and at least discuss the prospect of taking over at United after a five-month break from management.

Antonio Conte 'ready to talk' with Man Utd board about replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Antonio Conte is ready to talk to Manchester United about the vacant managerial position (Image: GETTY)

Conte walked out on Inter Milan back in May after guiding them to the Serie A title following a series of disagreements with the board regarding the club's debt and financial issues off the field.

His recent track record and history of stubbornness, which also includes the deterioration of his relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy the season after winning the Premier League title in his debut campaign, poses huge question marks about his capability of maintaining a professional relationship with the Glazers while working under the club's current imperfect infrastructure.

But, crucially, he is currently available and his appointment would not involve any form of compensation fee - much like Zinedine Zidane.

Antonio Conte 'ready to talk' with Man Utd board about replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Antonio Conte is open to the Manchester United job, should he receive an approach (Image: GETTY)

In an ideal world, Conte would prefer to wait until the end of the season to jump into his next challenge but in the case of United, he would be willing to make an exception.

Conte held extensive talks with Tottenham earlier this summer before withdrawing his interest in the position, while Spurs briefed it was the club that walked away from the table.

The majority of those talks took place through Conte's representatives, who are likely to be tasked with handling any formal discussions with United.

As of late Monday afternoon, Express Sport understands United were yet to reach out to Conte but reports in Italy are now suggesting that initial contact has been made.

United rewarded Solskjaer with a new three-year contract back in July after he guided the club to a second-place finish in the Premier League last season, meaning he would be due a substantial pay-off if the Red Devils decided to pull the trigger.