Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to hand manager Antonio Conte a mammoth £1m-a-year pay rise if he commits himself to a new deal in North London.
The former Chelsea and Inter Milan head coach took over from Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021 and led Tottenham back into the Champions League during his first season in charge.
The Lilywhites pipped Arsenal to the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Premier League table, and they have qualified for the last 16 of this year's tournament as group winners.
Conte has led Spurs to fourth place in the Premier League table this term, with the Lilywhites amassing 29 points from their first 15 matches to sit eight points below leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
Conte is only under contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the end of the season, but Daniel Levy is determined to agree a new deal with the Premier League and Serie A title winner.
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Tottenham and Conte are believed to have resumed contract talks during the World Cup break, and The Telegraph reports that the North London club are prepared to offer him a lucrative salary increase.
The report states that the Italian's wage will increase by £1m per year if he agrees to fresh terms, but he is in no rush to do so and wants to ensure that the club matches his ambition.
Conte's current deal is said to be worth £15m per year, and even if he does not sign a new contract by next summer, Tottenham can activate a one-year extension until 2024.
Tottenham are expected to back Conte with funds during the January and summer windows, which is a prerequisite for the 53-year-old to sign a new deal, but he also has his family to take into account, as his loved ones are all still in Italy.
Conte has won 33, drawn nine and lost 16 of his 58 competitive matches in charge of Tottenham since replacing Santo last year, and he previously managed Juventus in two separate spells between 2011 and 2014.
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The 53-year-old acrimoniously parted ways with the Bianconeri eight years ago following a falling out with chairman Andrea Agnelli, who recently resigned along with the entire Juventus board amid investigations into alleged false accounting and possible Financial Fair Play breaches.
Conte has nevertheless been linked with a return to Juventus as a possible successor to Massimiliano Allegri, whose side suffered a group-stage exit from the Champions League this season.
Allegri's Juventus are also third in the Serie A table - 10 points behind leaders Napoli - but Conte shot down the "disrespectful" rumours when questioned by the press in the autumn.
Tottenham thumped Motherwell 4-0 in a friendly at Hotspur Way on December 9 and will take part in their second winter exhibition match against Ligue 1 side Nice in North London on Wednesday.
Conte's men will then return to Premier League action with a London derby away to Brentford in a Boxing Day lunchtime kickoff.
Ben Knapton
