Doubts over Antonio Conte's Inter Milan future add to Manchester United fears over Alexis Sanchez sale
Manchester United’s hopes of selling Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan have suffered a potential setback amid doubts over Antonio Conte’s future at the Italian club.
Conte is on a collision course with Inter’s billionaire Chinese owners after the coach’s scathing criticism of the club in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Atalanta, which secured their first top two finish for nine years.
Sanchez has rediscovered his form on loan at Inter this season and is due to make his final appearance for the Milan club in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie against Getafe on Wednesday before returning to Old Trafford.
But the prospect of Inter signing the Chile striker on a permanent deal this summer has been complicated by the growing uncertainty around Conte’s position at the Serie A club.
Tensions between Conte and the Inter hierarchy had been steadily building before his outburst on Saturday, when he accused the club of being “weak” and offering “no protection” to either him or his players. Conte said he would need a meeting with Inter president, Steven Zhang, whose father, Zhang Jindong, owns the club.
The costs involved in trying to sign Sanchez had already made it a difficult deal for Inter to pull off but Conte’s collision course with Inter’s owners has added more obstacles.
Conte has been a driving force behind the desire to turn Sanchez’s loan into a permanent transfer. But it remains to be seen if Inter will be willing to push through such an expensive deal with relations strained with Conte - or if another coach would still want to buy the Chilean should the club decide to part company with the former Chelsea and Juventus manager.
Massimiliano Allegri, the former Juventus coach, and former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, have already been linked with the Inter post.
Another complicating factor is the situation concerning Lautaro Martinez, whose proposed sale this summer was expected to raise substantial transfer for Conte.
But Barcelona have now pulled the plug on a deal for the Argentina striker and there are few other clubs who could afford him. Manchester City have been tentatively linked but are put off by his near £100 million asking price.
Conte has been keen to have Sanchez available for the latter stages of the Europa League should his side see off Getafe. United have been unwilling to strengthen the squad of a rival for the Europa League by extending that loan although, if Inter provided assurances they would then buy Sanchez, that could yet change the picture.
However, the latest developments with Conte have further clouded the picture at a time when Sanchez’s basic £400,000 a week wages at Old Trafford have raised the possibility of United needing to negotiate a pay-off with the player to get him off their books. United are currently contributing around £175,000 a week to the cost of Sanchez’s wages at Inter.
Sanchez is keen to stay at Inter permanently but it is unclear if the 31-year-old - who has two years left on his contract with United - is prepared to accept a pay cut to help facilitate a move.
