Antonio Conte will reportedly be announced as Inter’s new coach on Friday, and one of his first moves is said to be axing Mauro Icardi from his squad.
The Nerazzurri secured Champions League qualification this past season, and while it seemingly won’t be enough for Luciano Spalletti to keep his job, it could be a huge boost for Conte in terms of having spending power to stamp his mark on the squad.
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According to Goal Italy, the Italian tactician will be announced as Inter’s new coach on Friday, and one of his first decisions will be to offload Icardi while it’s added he wants to do so quickly before the end of June as Inter hope to get around €70m-80m for their talisman.
It remains to be seen if it’s that simple, as although Icardi has established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe during his spell at the San Siro, he is coming off the back of a turbulent campaign which saw him stripped of the captaincy and ruled out with an injury for a significant period.
As per Goal, it’s said the threat of disrupting the harmony and balance in the squad is the reason why Conte is eager to offload him, while speculation has linked the former Chelsea boss with a raid on Man Utd to find a replacement this summer.
United forward Romelu Lukaku has already reportedly held talks with Inter over a move to Italy this summer, as per the Metro, with the Red Devils tipped to demand around £62m for him.
With that in mind, Icardi’s transfer fee could cover the Belgian’s price-tag, and so it could be the first major reshuffle that Conte oversees at Inter this summer.
Naturally, we’ll have to wait for the official announcement to arrive of his appointment at Inter, which will be the first step to see these potential pieces fall into place.
