Antonio Conte Refuses to Rule out Move to Manchester United Next Summer

Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said his future remains undecided after being asked if he will take over at Manchester United next summer.

The Red Devils have interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the campaign, and Conte was questioned if he could arrive at United or Roma next term.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express) on Thursday, Conte explained he will be open to offers after a break from the game.

When asked about his future, Conte said: "You will not see me anywhere this season. For everything else, we'll see later."

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The Italian publication also asked the former Juventus boss if he could move to Inter Milan in the near future.

"People have been talking about it for some time, but they are only rumours," said Conte. "Indeed, talk. There has been no contact with society and with (director) Giuseppe Marotta himself, believe me."

Conte was shown the door at Stamford Bridge last July, and despite winning the Premier League and FA Cup during two seasons in London, the Italian departed after ending his final campaign outside of UEFA Champions League qualification.

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Conte was also asked what he is looking for from his next job. He replied:"I will evaluate calmly, without haste. Now it's early, I want to wait for the right opportunity. The decisive factors in my choice will be two: the importance of the project and, above all, the enthusiasm. I will accept the proposal that will give me more joy."

Per Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte also confirmed he had "the chance to go" to Real Madrid before the appointment of new coach Santiago Solari but said he preferred not to take the reins mid-season—describing Los Blancos as a "hot potato" after the dismissal of former manager Julen Lopetegui.

After the initial success of Solskjaer's attacking brand of football at the Theatre of Dreams, Conte would be a poor fit at United due to his tactics. The Italian clearly has the achievements required for a position at a major club, but the Red Devils do not need a pragmatic coach to take control after the troublesome tenure of Jose Mourinho.

Conte would be an ideal managerial choice for either Roma or Inter, and as a three-time winner of Serie A as a coach, he would strengthen any Italian side next season.

The 49-year-old remains one of the elite managerial talents in world football, and he will surely be offered a role in the summer.