Conte ready to wait for Manchester United job as Juventus favour Deschamps

Antonio Conte is understood to prefer a move to Manchester United over a return to Juventus, with La Repubblica reporting that the former Napoli head coach is prepared to wait for the Old Trafford role should the club part ways with Michael Carrick.

Conte, 55, left Napoli by mutual consent at the end of the 2025/26 campaign and has been without a club since. While his name has been circulated in connection with Juventus — who sit eighth in Serie A after nine matches under Luciano Spalletti — reports from La Stampa indicate that the Turin club favour Didier Deschamps as their preferred candidate. The former France manager, who departed the national team following a fourth-place finish at the World Cup this summer, is said to have communicated his readiness to return to club management through intermediaries.

With Juventus appearing to look elsewhere, Conte’s attention is reportedly fixed on United, where Carrick faces growing scrutiny. The Italian has a proven track record in England, guiding Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2015/16 and the FA Cup the following season before leaving Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances. He also managed Tottenham Hotspur between 2021 and 2023, though he departed without silverware.

Conte himself moved to temper the speculation in a recent social media statement. “My name has been linked with numerous clubs, but there are currently no negotiations at an advanced stage,” he wrote. “I have read reports of financial demands and requests for full control that I have supposedly already made to the clubs mentioned, as well as reservations about what has been described as my ‘strong personality.’ These reports are unfounded. Should a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to hold discussions with the club concerned.”

The statement stops short of ruling out a move to United, and with Juventus seemingly committed to pursuing Deschamps, Conte’s position as a free agent keeps him firmly in the frame at Old Trafford if Carrick’s tenure comes to an end.