Milan have closed for Lopetegui. Actually no. In fact he was never close. In fact he goes to West Ham. Two weeks ago the Spanish coach seemed one step away from landing in London, then the Rossoneri anticipated the competition. Meeting in Italy, agreement practically reached, then the excitement in the square: #NOpetegui which goes viral, as #PioliOut had done some time ago. The AC Milan fan has decided: he doesn’t want a second choice. He wants a top-level coach. Of pedigree. Of printing. Named. In short, he wants Antonio Conte.
Conte’s situation: he wants to return to Italy. Chelsea are targeting Tuchel (this is also inexplicable, but ok), while Napoli are to be leafed through like a daisy, but we’ll talk about it later. We were saying: Conte has never had contact with Milan. And why? Simply because the budget wouldn’t allow it. The Rossoneri want to live on financial sustainability and not delegate, not exaggerate, because they know very well that the donation that goes out must somehow come back. It’s true that RedBird wants to win, but it’s equally clear that to raise trophies you need to invest. Much, too much, perhaps out of pocket for what the Italian possibilities are. So Klopp is impossible, like others, for that matter. Conte would accept Milan to close the trio of streaks (Inter, Milan and Juventus, in fact) and try to win the Scudetto. But how much does he ask for? Sensible discussion on salary, even more so on purchases.
Then you have to think that Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan have two years left on their contracts and it could be a very hot summer for them. But this is not the news: Leao would like a top coach, probably one between Conceicao and Amorim would suit him as a second choice. Is it perhaps lowering the bar? Likely, but it will be a new situation, where no big club wants to spend over 100 million for the Portuguese. So valorising him with a coach close to him would make sense, always considering that Milan he only made 3 million and change available for the coach. Lopetegui would have accepted 3.2, now he will probably get 4 more bonuses (well, 5) from West Ham. Clearly with this budget Conte will remain a dream, like many other top coaches.
So what will happen? It will be nice to understand. As for Napoli, moreover, with Conte having spoken with some players since the beginning of last week. To understand the situation. Even if here, as we understood a year ago when Rudi Garcia and Meluso arrived (both delegitimized quite quickly, perhaps too quickly), the choice is only one person’s. And De Laurentiis’ possible bluff is not readable. Conte has a proposal on the table worth 6.5 million per year, for three seasons. But will the offer really be worth it? But maybe he doesn’t get Pioli in the end? Or Italian? Or Gasperini? Well, the latter would have also given his ok, but in the end Percassi will never let him leave. Like for Messi at Barcelona years ago: renewal for another year and perhaps an even higher bar, even if between the Italian Cup and the Europa League there is much more than a dream in Bergamo.
To close, Juventus. Will change? It will not change? Who knows. What we know is that Allegri will not give up even a euro of his salary. The reason is easy to say: he thinks he has never been defended by the Bianconeri, in a moment of profound transition, between capital gains and an internal war in the club. Will there be a Leopard and everything will change to be the same? Maybe not. In the end only Inzaghi knows how it will end. And maybe De Rossi: confirmed by the Friedkins by popular acclaim, but if he finished sixth and no Italian team won the Europa League, what would happen? We have an idea…