Sportitalia director Criscitiello insists Conte ‘only has Milan in mind’

Sportitalia journalist Michele Criscitiello believes that Antonio Conte is entirely focused on getting the AC Milan job when Stefano Pioli’s tenure comes to an end. 

As explained by Criscitiello (via Mondo Napoli), the Italian coach is being linked with a number of vacant and potentially vacant jobs, one of which is Milan.

Pioli is said to be walking on thin ice this week given they could be out of the Europa League by Friday as AS Roma are 1-0 up in the Europa League quarter-final and the second leg is at the Stadio Olimpico.

That is followed by the Derby della Madonnina in which Inter can win the Serie A title with a victory. Given the stadium will be full of Milan fans, that would be a very embarrassing situation.

As Criscitiello explains, Conte has not had as much contact with Napoli as many people would assume and his salary would be too much for them, especially if they have no European football.

Partly for that reason, Conte is watching Milan closely, presumably thinking that there is a good set of ingredients for success there.

“We have said it many times: Conte and [Aurelio] De Laurentiis have had no contact since January, the coach costs a lot, around €8 million, a sum that Napoli, in the event of not participating in the European cups, could not afford. Conte only has Milan in mind, with whom he already has a pre-agreement, we need to understand Pioli’s position,” Criscitiello said.