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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly planning to open talks with Antonio Conte over a new contract next month.
The former Chelsea and Inter Milan head coach took over from Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of November last year and is under contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the end of the season.
Conte led Tottenham back into the Champions League in the 2021-22 season, but he flirted with an early exit from the club during their mid-season struggles.
Since then, optimism has been high over Conte’s chances of remaining in North London for a little while longer after he was backed with funds in the summer transfer market.
In the early stages of the 2022-23 season, the 53-year-old has led Tottenham to third place in the Premier League table with 20 points from nine matches, four points behind leaders Arsenal and three worse off than Manchester City.
Spurs also sit at the top of Champions League Group D with seven points from four games, and they will seal qualification for the knockout stages if they beat Sporting Lisbon on the penultimate matchday.
Conte’s long-term future has still been shrouded in uncertainty, but according to The Telegraph, Tottenham are set to discuss a contract extension with the Italian next month.
The report claims that Conte’s current deal includes a 12-month extension option, but the Lilywhites are hoping that the Premier League and Serie A-winning coach will commit to a longer deal.
Tottenham supposedly view November as the perfect time to begin talks during the World Cup hiatus, but Conte could push for an increase on his yearly £15m salary to sign a new contract.
Conte is understood to still be residing in a hotel while his wife and daughter remain in their native Italy, but he is said to be “comfortable” with his living arrangements.
Talks with Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici convinced Conte to stay on in North London over the summer, and he will seek further backing in the transfer market to commit his future to Tottenham for longer.
Tottenham are poised to extend their trophyless run to 15 years since victory in the 2008 EFL Cup final, and the report adds that Conte will emphasize the gap between Spurs and Manchester City when discussing fresh terms.
The Italian will take charge of his 50th competitive game for Tottenham against Everton this weekend, and he boasts a record of 29 wins, eight draw and 12 losses from his 49 games so far.
Conte went unbeaten in his first nine Premier League games in charge of Tottenham before losing 2-0 to former club Chelsea in January, and their sole top-flight defeat this term came at the hands of current leaders and North London rivals Arsenal.
The 53-year-old spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton, during which he gave a pessimistic update on the condition of attacker Dejan Kulusevski, who has missed Spurs’ last four games with a hamstring injury.