Report: Conte would need to take significant pay cut to facilitate Italy return

Reports in Italy indicate that Antonio Conte would need to take a significant pay cut if he were to leave Napoli and return to the Italy national team set-up at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News and Content – Free Trial – Click Here

Conte needs to take a major pay cut to facilitate Italy return

Italy are currently without a head coach following the recent resignation of Gennaro Gattuso in the wake of the World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March. Conte is among the frontrunners along with Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri. 

Conte, who already took charge of the Italy national team between 2014 and 2016, has one year remaining on his current contract with Napoli and has previously hinted at an interest in returning to the Azzurri set-up. 

“If I was the FIGC President, I would take me into consideration along with others. For many reasons, I would put Conte in that list. After all, I have already worked with the Nazionale and I know the environment. I am flattered, because representing your country is something wonderful,” Conte confessed in a recent post-match interview.

• Read more: Conte back in front for Italy job as Napoli line up 4 potential replacements

However, according to updates from TMW, Conte would need to take a major pay cut if he were to return to the Italy national team head coach role. 

Monday’s report claims that Conte currently earns a base salary of €6.5m with bonuses of €2.5m for Champions League qualification. 

In the national team, though, it is unusual for the head coach to earn much more than €3m as a base salary as TMW reports. Conte reportedly earned around €4.5m per year the last time that he was in charge of Italy, but this was also helped by sponsorship payments from Puma as well as a favourable deal for Conte on image rights.