Securing a top four finish in his first season in charge at Inter, Antonio Conte did what he was hired to do, but that’s not enough.
The Italian manager wants to be the one to topple Juventus, his former side, from their Serie A perch, and in order to do that, he needs a new midfielder.
N’Golo Kanté would be his dream signing, but since that’s easier said than done, two alternatives are being looked at: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombélé and Moussa Sissoko.
Corriere dello Sport are the ones reporting it, pointing out that José Mourinho is on the verge of bringing in Pierre-Emile Højbjerg from Southampton, a player Inter were also interested in.
However, his arrival at Tottenham can open new doors for the Italian side, as Spurs are ‘willing to revolutionise their midfielder’, and the two Frenchmen are right for Conte’s 3-4-1-2 tactic.
They are aware acquiring Ndombélé a year after Daniel Levy agreed to spend €60m+ on the player won’t be easy, regardless of his ups and downs with Mourinho, meaning ‘an exchange is necessary’.
Thankfully for Inter, they have a couple of players the Special One likes, namely Milan Škriniar (who could help fill the gap left by Jan Vertonghen) and Marcelo Brozović.
The centre-back is ‘no longer immovable’ at Inter, while the Croatian is ‘estimated’ by the Portuguese manager, and they set up the possibility of an operation similar to the one Barcelona and Juventus pulled off for the transfers of Miralem Pjanić and Arthur.
As things stand, Sissoko and Ndombélé are merely viable alternatives to N’Golo Kanté in the Italians’ plans, and it will all depend on how willing Chelsea are to let their midfielder go.
If Frank Lampard wants to keep him around, then this could pick up some steam in the coming weeks.
Let’s wait and find out…
