Italian media predicted an imminent end to coach Antonio Conte's reign at Inter Milan on Wednesday, despite the club being crowned Italian Serie A champions after an 11-year wait.
"La Gazzetta dello Sport", published in Milan, wrote the headline "Conti-Inter's divorce", and expected the two to separate within 48 hours.
Corriere dello Sport reported that the relationship between the two sides "ended", and that lawyer Angelo Cappellini, who deals with contracts and negotiations, is at the club's headquarters for the second day in a row to oversee the termination of the contract.
Sky Italia reported that an agreement is underway on Conte's departure one year before the end of his contract.
The reports follow comments from Conte's assistant Christian Stellini following the 5-1 win over Udinese on Sunday when Inter, who were in the process of winning the title at the start of May, lifted the trophy.
"We are excited about continuing but when you have a great coach, it requires a big project as well," said Stellini.
"Selling prominent players may change that, but it is up to the club to clarify the situation," he added.
Stellini's comments were at the heart of the matter, with Conte wanting to continue and Inter wanting to keep him, but his ambitions are at odds with the club's financial position.
There has been speculation about the coach's future for several months to the point where he stops attending press conferences at the end of the season to avoid answering questions about his future.
Huge deals
Conte's two seasons at Inter were very impressive, as he led Inter to second in the Italian league and qualify for the Champions League in its first season before winning the title this season.
Since the former Chelsea manager took over in 2019, Inter has spent a lot on deals by huge players such as Romelu Lukaku, Niccolo Barrilla, Christian Eriksen and Ashraf Hakimi.
Investing in Conte's squad has accelerated Inter's success, and the coach wants to pursue his next goal of making an imprint in Europe after his disappointing exit from the group stage in the Champions League this season.
But Inter is now looking to cut costs after suffering a heavy financial blow during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Club president Stephen Chang asked players and workers to give up two months of their wages, but his request was rejected.
After that, Inter won a € 275m grant that helped stabilize the club’s position, but the cost cuts will continue.
Players who do not participate much will leave, but it seems likely that the club will need to sell one of its prominent players in order to achieve its financial goals, with Hakimi, Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez among those who
have been linked to the departure.