Antonio Conte recently expressed his desire to take up a potentially vacant managerial role at Manchester United, on the back of the Red Devils’ 5-0 humiliation at Old Trafford at the hands of eternal rivals Liverpool.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been given a lifeline, according to Daily Star, who report that Manchester United are losing interest in pricy Conte – the favorite to replace the Norwegian – due to the Italian’s wage demands.
The former Inter manager has been a free agent ever since leaving the Nerazzurri after an impressive season where the club won its first Serie A title in over a decade.
According to the report, the 52-year-old is proving expensive to hire as he currently demands a contract until 2025 at an estimated £18m-a-season, along with his intention to change to his traditional 3-5-2 formation- which may or may not be what the supporters of the cub want to experience.
The former Chelsea manager also wants two new signings in January – a holding midfielder and a full-back.
Manchester United would also have to part with their backroom staff by virtue of Conte’s bringing in his own team of specialists, which would mean the Premier League giants would have to compensate for more than just Solskjaer’s worth.
Conte has not completely been ruled out but is certainly not as likely to get the job as before. Zinedine Zidane is another contender for the role at Old Trafford but there have been no developments with him in this regard.