Fake news? Conte, Neymar and Lukaku at PSG
Martin Macdonald
- 28 Apr 2022 09:37 BST
- 3 min read
French outlet Le Parisien have reported this week that Antonio Conte has let it be known to Paris Saint-Germain that he would be open to the idea of leaving Tottenham for Ligue 1.
Following the underwhelming tenure of Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham successfully appointed the Conte as his replacement, having tried and failed to bring him to North London the previous summer.
It hasn't been an easy time for the Italian at Spurs, either, as it has often been one step taken forward and two steps back.
After a loss against Burnley earlier in the season, Conte surprisingly admitted that he could actually be sacked, saying:
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“I think Tottenham called me to improve the situation, but I’m too honest. I’m too honest to close my eyes, you understand, and to continue to say ‘ok I want to finish the season in this way and ok my salary is good’,” he said.
“But I’m not this type of person. I have ambition, I’m a person who has ambition, I hate to lose and we lost, I repeat, four games in the last five games. And for me, I repeat, this is unacceptable.
“I won’t accept this. I want to try to improve the situation and also to make assessment with the club because if we continue in this way, maybe we have to pay great attention because in this league we can finish 10th, 12th, 13th the same way that when I arrive here, the same position.”
At the moment, Tottenham are still in contention to qualify for the Champions League, but need to usurp Arsenal into fourth spot as they are currently in fifth.
Meanwhile, at PSG, Mauricio Pochettino looks set to leave, with the club allegedly unhappy at the manner of the Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
What were Conte's alleged demands?
Le Parisien reported that Conte has already contacted PSG, and that he has demanded €30 million per season to take over, nearly double the €17m he earns at Spurs.
Not only that, but he has demanded that Romelu Lukaku be signed from Chelsea and Nicolo Barella be signed from Inter.
After dominating Italian football with Inter with 64 goals in 95 games over the course of two seasons under Conte and helping the club win their first Serie A title in 10 years, Lukaku returned to English football as one of the best frontmen in world football and with a new point to prove.
The move has been a disaster, though, and he's looking for a way out.
All of the demands above have been labelled as "fake news" by Conte's representatives, however.
La Gazzetta dello Sport asked members of Conte's entourage about the demands, and they said:
“No contact with anyone. This is fake news devoid of foundation.”
