The 57-year-old has been without a job since leaving Napoli at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. He has now made it clear that England remains a major attraction, eight years after his successful spell at Chelsea.

Conte guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2016/17 and remains the manager who delivered their most recent league championship.

The Italian is particularly impressed by the financial strength of English football. He believes even mid-table Premier League clubs have the resources to compete at a level that is difficult to match elsewhere in Europe.

"Premier League teams are using bazookas, while everywhere else they're still using a pistol," Conte told The Athletic.

Conte has also spoken highly of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, but his comments about England have inevitably fuelled speculation over a possible return.

Although Conte has traditionally preferred to start a new project rather than take over midway through a campaign, he insisted he would not automatically rule out a mid-season appointment.

His previous experience suggests that is possible. Conte joined Tottenham in November 2021 after Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed and remained in charge for around 500 days.

He has now revealed the type of challenge that would tempt him back into management.

"I'd like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more," Conte said.

"Clubs where there's pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you're not going there just to take part, but to compete."

Conte wants to work at a club where expectations are high and success is measured by trophies.

"If you go to a club where the history speaks for itself - a history made up of trophies, league titles and victories - you can only honour that history in one way: by having the ambition to bring that club back - if it isn't there today - to fight for those goals."

Conte's comments have inevitably raised questions about Manchester United, particularly after their difficult start to the 2026/27 season under Michael Carrick.

United were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Brighton and won only one of their opening five Premier League matches, leaving them 10 points behind unbeaten leaders Manchester City.

Conte has already been linked with the Old Trafford job and his latest comments have done little to quieten that speculation.

The former Juventus and Napoli manager has won Serie A four times and enjoyed a strong record in England, with a win rate of more than 60 per cent during his spells with Chelsea and Tottenham.

He won two trophies with Chelsea and left Tottenham by mutual consent in 2023 while the club were fourth in the Premier League.

Conte insists he is not desperate to return, but his ambition remains clear.

"I know full well that only one team can win every year, but I must carry in my heart - and instil in the hearts of the fans, my players and my directors - that spark, that hope that makes you say: 'f***, we can win'."

For a manager who thrives on pressure and demanding immediate improvement, a club with Manchester United's history would certainly appear to fit that description.

Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela: It is a proud moment to lead Bucs out