Antonio Conte has left Inter Milan by mutual consent only three weeks after winning the Serie A title after falling out with the club’s hierarchy over summer transfer policy.
Conte was determined to keep hold of his core of talented players like Slovakian defender Milan Skriniar and Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, but the club chairman Steven Zhang had drawn up plans to cut the team’s wage bill by up to 20 per cent with the sale of key players, shifting the focus to developing young talent.
Inter won the title by 12 points from nearest challengers AC Milan to emphatically end Juventus’s near-decade of domination at the top of Italian football.
Conte departs with one year remaining on his contract at the San Siro and will receive around €7m in severance pay.
"FC Internazionale Milano can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Antonio Conte for the termination of his contract by mutual consent," read a club statement.
"The club would like to thank Antonio for the extraordinary work that he has done, culminating in Inter’s 19th top-flight title. Antonio Conte will forever remain a part of our club’s history."
