Former Chelsea and Napoli coach Antonio Conte has said he is not in advanced negotiations to replace Manchester United manager Michael Carrick. He also called reports that he had demanded full control of the club “unfounded”.
Conte, who won the Premier League with Chelsea and has also managed Tottenham Hotspur in England, was responding to speculation that he had asked for full control while making financial demands of the struggling Old Trafford club. The claims come at a difficult time for United, who sit 13th in the Premier League and 20th in the Champions League table after a 4-1 defeat by Italian side Como on Wednesday. That heavy loss has increased scrutiny on Carrick.
Conte says no advanced talks and rejects claims about his terms
In a statement, Conte said his name had been linked with several clubs, but no talks had reached an advanced stage. He said he would take the time he needed to decide how and when he returns to management, pointing to his spell in charge of Napoli, where he won Serie A in the 2024-25 season.
He said any decision would be carefully considered and made once he felt the conditions were right. Conte also addressed reports that he had made financial demands and requests for full control to the clubs named, as well as concerns about his “strong personality”. He dismissed these reports because, in his view, there was no concrete basis for such assessments.
Conte added that if a real opportunity arose, he would enter talks with the club involved and jointly consider the terms of a possible agreement, taking into account the needs of both parties. Until then, he said, assumptions about his demands and professional future were speculation. The 57-year-old Italian, who last coached Napoli in the 2025-26 season, had earlier this month told an interview that he would like to manage a club that has “lost sight of their history” so he could help “make it shine once more”.
Carrick under pressure after winless run extends to seven games
Defeat against Como extended United’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions. Captain Bruno Fernandes said the team had adopted a “mood of defeat” and also questioned the tactics. Carrick has apologised for the performance.
Conte is not the only name being linked with the United job. Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler also distanced himself from the speculation on Friday, saying he was focused solely on his current club. Brighton sit third in the Premier League after a run of impressive performances, and their attacking form has made Hurzeler a possible successor should United change managers mid-season for a third consecutive campaign.
Hurzeler focuses on Brighton as they prepare for Liverpool
The 33-year-old, who is England’s youngest top-flight manager, told a news conference he had no time to think about the rumours because Brighton play every three days. He said he had great respect for Carrick and what he had achieved at United last season, describing him as a great human being and a great personality.
Brighton sit behind only Manchester City and champions Arsenal in the table, and they travel to Liverpool on Sunday. Their scoring streak ended in a 0-0 draw at Czech side Jablonec in the Europa League on Thursday. Hurzeler believes there is still room to improve and said he wanted to work on that with his players and staff.
He also pointed to Brighton’s comeback from 2-0 down to beat United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the League Cup last month. Hurzeler said building the kind of relationships his club enjoys takes time, connections and a refusal to take anything for granted.
