Tottenham hold 'positive' talks with Antonio Conte
By Harry Symeou
Tottenham are reported to have held 'positive' talks with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte over succeeding Jose Mourinho as their new head coach.
The 51-year-old's Inter were crown Serie A champions on Saturday after they defeated Crotone and Atalanta failed to win at Sassuolo, ending Juventus' decade of scudetto dominance.
In north London, meanwhile, Spurs are on the hunt for a new permanent boss after opting to remove Mourinho from his position before the Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester City. They would go on to lose that final - extending their 13-year run without silverware - and look unlikely to finish in the Premier League's top four unless a number of results go their way.
Ryan Mason is currently in interim charge, but a big-name appointment is on chairman Daniel Levy's mind as he targets getting the club back into the mix for Champions League qualification next season.
Conte has previous Premier League experience with Spurs' bitter rivals Chelsea, leading the Blues to the title in his first season in charge. He also won the FA Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, but was sacked by Roman Abramovich after just two years in charge.
Inter are unlikely to want Conte to leave, given the success he's bought to San Siro this season, but he does only have one year remaining on his contract. Corriere dello Sport (via Express) claim talks will be held in the summer over his future, but add that Tottenham have already reached out about a possible return to England.
Those initial talks are said to have been 'positive' - with follow-up conversations already agreed by both parties - although Conte is one of many prominent managers who have been tipped to succeed Mourinho, who has already agreed a three-year deal at Roma to succeed Paulo Fonseca.
The report also claims that Tottenham are in contact with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini, while Maurizio Sarri, another former Chelsea boss, has also been linked. Several high profiles have already opted against moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, including Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers and Ajax's Erik ten Hag.