Antonio Conte outlined two conditions for taking charge of Manchester United during informal discussions, according to reports in Italy, with full control over transfers among his demands.

Michael Carrick is under a significant amount of pressure after United fell to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Serie A side Como on Wednesday night.

It has been an underwhelming start to the 2026-27 campaign for the Reds, who are currently seven games without a win and sit 13th in the Premier League table, 14 points behind leaders Manchester City.

As a result, a host of names have been linked with the United job in recent days, including former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann and the no-nonsense Antonio Conte.

In fact, Conte is believed to have held informal talks with United chiefs following Wednesday's Champions League clash in Como, according to La Repubblica.

The report claims United are 'seeking a way out of its crisis' and have, in turn, made an approach to Conte, who previously managed in the Premier League with Chelsea and Tottenham.

It is said the Italian opened up about the possibility of returning to England's top flight during talks, but also outlined 'specific conditions'.

Conte apparently wants full control over transfer activity, a condition that could prove to be a stumbling block given Jason Wilcox's influence in their recruitment strategy alongside Christopher Vivell and Omar Berrada.

According to the report, he is demanding significant influence over squad building, including the recruitment of players suited to his style of play.

Conte also wants to bring his own backroom staff to Old Trafford, meaning Steve Holland, Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans, amongst other members of Carrick's team, would depart if the Italian took charge.

Clear favourite for Man Utd job has emerged after Como defeat

Despite holding talks with Conte, former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is the current bookmakers' favourite to replace Michael Carrick as United's head coach.

According to TEAMtalk, United have held internal discussions about replacing Carrick with Howe, with the report claiming that Howe being a British manager stands in his favour.

For his part, Howe is believed to be keen on a return to club management after stepping down as Newcastle head coach at the end of July. He is currently the 9/4 favourite to take charge of United with several bookmakers.