Conte eyes Premier League return as Manchester United speculation grows
Antonio Conte has revealed his desire to return to the Premier League and would consider taking charge of a club during the season “if it is worth it”, fuelling speculation linking him with Manchester United.
The 57-year-old is available after leaving Napoli at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, when the club won the Italian Super Cup but finished second in Serie A behind Inter Milan.
Speaking to The Athletic, Conte outlined his ambition to work in England again, having led Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title, which remains their most recent league championship.
The Italian praised Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique, while highlighting the financial strength that makes English football particularly attractive.
Even clubs outside the Premier League’s leading group possess considerable spending power, with Conte describing English teams as “using bazookas, while elsewhere they are still using pistols”.
His comments come amid links with Manchester United, where Michael Carrick has faced growing scrutiny following a difficult start to the 2026/27 season.
United were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Brighton and won only one of their opening five Premier League matches, leaving them 10 points behind unbeaten leaders Manchester City.
Conte brings a substantial record of success, having won five Serie A titles across spells with Juventus, Inter and Napoli. His win rate during his time with Chelsea and Tottenham exceeded 60 per cent, and he collected two trophies at Stamford Bridge.
He left Tottenham by mutual agreement with the club fourth in the Premier League during the 2022/23 season. Although generally cautious about accepting jobs midway through a campaign, his 500-day spell in north London began in November 2021 after Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed just 17 matches into his tenure.
Conte stressed that he is in no hurry to return to management.
Nevertheless, his description of an appealing challenge did little to quiet the United speculation.
He expressed an interest in reviving a struggling club that had “lost something of its history”.
“I would like to go to one of these clubs to restore its glorious history and make it shine again,” Conte said. “Clubs where there is pressure, where ultimately you understand clearly that you are not just going there to take part, but to compete.”
“If you go to a club whose history speaks for itself — a history made up of trophies, league titles and victories — you can honour that history in only one way: by nurturing the ambition to take the club back, if it is no longer there, to fighting for those objectives.”
“I know very well that only one team can win each year, but I have to keep in my heart — and plant in the hearts of the supporters, the players and the board — that flame of hope that makes them say: ‘Damn it, we can win.’”
Manchester United fit much of that description. The 20-time English champions have not won the Premier League since 2012/13, and two FA Cup triumphs since then have not ended their wait to reclaim the league title.
Conte’s remarks offer a clear indication of the challenge he wants next. Whether that ambition leads him to Old Trafford remains uncertain, but his willingness to consider a mid-season appointment adds significance to the speculation.
