Conte and Inter Milan part ways days after Scudetto victory

Antonio Conte and Inter Milan part ways days after Serie A title win as both parties disagree due to financial crisis at the club

Antonio Conte all smiles as he celebrates Inter Milan title win with fans during their trophy parade on the streets of Milan. (Photo credit: @Inter via Twitter)

Antonio Conte and Inter Milan have reportedly part ways with immediate effect according to reports coming out of Italy.

Earlier today a Sky sports report stated that the Serie A champions were trying to persuade Conte to take some primary financial decisions which led to him leaving the club a matter of weeks after guiding them to their first league title in 11 years.

Inter Milan are in a huge financial crisis as their total debt is around $602m according to a Bloomberg report in 2021.

Chairman Steven Zhang is said to have asked Conte to slash his wage bill by 15 to 20% and sell players worth up to $100m this summer.

On Wednesday morning, Zhang arrived at Inter's headquarters to continue discussions with senior staff.

But Conte wants to keep up to eight "untouchables" in his squad, including Milan Skriniar, Romelu Lukaku, and Lautaro Martinez.

Antonio Conte and Inter have reached an agreement to part ways immediatly, done. He’s leaving Inter - game over after two seasons, one Scudetto and the Europa League final. ⚫️🔵 #Inter #Conte

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 26, 2021

Lukaku is content at Inter, but uncertainty about Conte's future, as well as the club's need to cut costs, has cast doubt on his future at the club.

According to Sky in Italy, the club's strategy could include selling one of its star players and focusing on developing young talent which did not sit well with the former Chelsea boss.

Conte believes this will prevent him from building a stronger team for the Champions League next season. This season, Inter finished last in their Champions League group.

If he stays on, the Nerazzurri boss would earn about $15.5 million after taxes next season, according to his current contract, which runs until the end of the 2021/22 season.

But now that both parties have parted ways with mutual consent, Inter will pay Conte about $8.5m for the final year of his contract.

A source close to Conte believes they are looking for a "softer coach whose personality would be easier to manage" in light of reports in Italy linking him to the vacant Tottenham job.

Lazio coach Simeone Inzaghi is expected to replace him as the Serie A champions' head coach.

Conte has also been linked with a job at Real Madrid, where current coach Zinedine Zidane's future is unclear.

According to reports in Italy, former Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, who is also being mentioned for the Real job, has emerged as an option to succeed Conte.

Allegri has also been linked with a return to Juventus, his former club.

🚨 | STATEMENT

Official statement from FC Internazionale Milano 👇 https://t.co/GRzpRBMU7A

— Inter 🏆🇮🇹 (@Inter_en) May 26, 2021