INTER MILAN CONFIRM EXIT OF MANAGER, LUCIANO SPALLETTI

Inter have confirmed the immediate departure of coach Luciano Spalletti after two years in charge.

Spalletti’s future had been in doubt for several weeks, with former Juventus, Chelsea and Italy coach Antonio Conte strongly linked with the position.

The former Roma boss managed to guide Inter to fourth in Serie A, securing a place in the Champions League for next season, but that was not enough for him to keep his job.

Inter were erratic for much of the season and, although they scraped a fourth-place finish on the final day, a last-16 exit to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League did little to help Spalletti’s cause.

The Nerazzurri have also been troubled by off-field matters in the second half of the campaign, predominantly revolving around star striker Mauro Icardi, whose relationship with Spalletti has deteriorated.

Speculation about Spalletti’s future went into overdrive on Wednesday when a photo of Conte apparently with Inter’s media team surfaced on social media.

Conte is reported to have agreed a deal that will see him paid a base salary of €10million across the first two seasons of his tenure, before increasing by €2m in his third campaign.

Spalletti departs having led Inter to successive fourth-placed finishes in his time with inter.