- The Italian has been out of work since leaving his role at Tottenham in March
- Antonio Conte rejected a big-money offer to join a side playing in Saudi Arabia
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
Antonio Conte is one of the high-profile names of European football not destined to join the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia after revealing he previously rejected a move to the Middle East.
The Italian has been out of work since leaving his post as first-team coach at Tottenham in March following a torrid run of form and a negative attitude sweeping through the club camp.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Pro League is attempting to cement its status as one of the world’s best footballing institutions after launching a successful summer raid on Europe.
Household names such as Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, and Jordan Henderson followed Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia, before highly-regarded coaches also made the move.
Former Italy national manager Roberto Mancini is now managing the Saudi national team, while Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard took over at Al-Ettifaq.
Antonio Conte revealed he rejected a ‘huge’ offer to join a Saudi Arabian side
Conte has been out of work since being sacked as Tottenham manager in March
But, Conte is in no rush to get back into management as he holds out for the perfect next opportunity that he is hoping will be a return to managing in the Italian top-flight where he enjoyed previous success.
A title-winning spell at Inter Milan followed two previous hirings at Juventus where he won the Serie A title in three consecutive seasons before departing.
Conte is now being tipped with a move to reigning champions Napoli amidst the club’s early season struggles under new manager Rudi Garcia.
Club president Aurelio de Laurentiis is preparing to bring in a new head coach just months after Garcia arrived. Conte is the obvious replacement but the manager revealed he isn’t a fan of taking on new roles midseason.
The Italian has expressed a desire to return to top-flight coaching in his home nation
Conte also revealed he regrets previously leaving Juventus, telling Belve: ‘I’ve rejected a huge proposal from Saudi — I decided to say no.
‘I regretted leaving Juventus after just three years.
‘I’d like to try an experience in Roma or Napoli one day, but I usually prefer to join at the end of the season,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho is currently in charge of Roma but there have been previous suggestions he could leave his role before the end of the season.
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