Antonio Conte is interested in succeeding Jose Mourinho as Manchester United’s next permanent manager.
United have made Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino the leading candidate to take over from Mourinho on a full-time basis, following the caretaker appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Conte is among the favourites should United fail to land Pochettino next summer and Telegraph Sport understands the Italian is interested in the position.
Having been sacked by Chelsea in July, Conte has split his time between England and Italy for the past six months and his daughter has remained in school in London.
Wanting to take a break and resolve the legal dispute surrounding his departure from the Blues, Conte has twice turned down Real Madrid as well as several other opportunities since the summer.
But he expects to be ready to return to management in June and would seriously consider any approach from United.
Conte has successfully picked up the mess left behind by Mourinho once before at Chelsea, winning the Premier League title in his first season in charge and the FA Cup in his second and final campaign.
His relationship with Paul Pogba could also be an advantage, as it was Conte at Juventus who helped the France midfielder become one of the best players in the world. He is also a big fan of Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, both of whom he wanted at Chelsea, and Marcus Rashford.
United may well be wary of Conte’s volatile reputation, however, and the accusation that he plays unattractive football.
But the 48-year-old would argue that he gets the best out of the players he is given and formulates tactical plans to suit the strengths of his squad. With money to spend and a talented squad, those close to Conte insist he could create an attractive team.
Conte also has experience of working under directors of football, both at Juve and Chelsea, and that is a position United want to create under their restructuring.
Apart from winning two trophies in two seasons with Chelsea, Conte guided Juventus to three Serie A titles and took unfancied Italy to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016
