Antonio Conte could be set to attempt a transfer raid of former club Tottenham for a player he helped bring to the club. The Italian departed north London in March 2023 and in highly controversial fashion after a shocking outburst when Spurs let slip a two-goal lead to Southampton.

Just over 12 months on from his exit, the former Inter head coach returned to management in Italy with Napoli and a transfer war chest at his disposal. Romelu Lukaku, Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and David Neres were among those brought in last summer adding to a squad that already included Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen.

The latter of those names made his exit wish very clear though and he eventually joined Galatasaray on loan with it likely he is sold permanently in six months. As Conte had Lukaku as his replacement, he was certainly prepared but the same cannot be said for Kvaratskhelia who appears to have handed in a transfer request for January.

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"He (Kvaratskhelia) has asked the club to be sold," Conte revealed on Saturday. "I am disappointed, I realised that it was a bolt from the blue and I am taking a step back. I would never want him to think that I have chained him here if he were to stay.

"I did it last summer thinking of convincing him of the goodness of the project, but evidently I didn't succeed. We are losing an important player. We haven't thought about how to replace him yet, it was a bolt from the blue and today the most important thing is tomorrow's [Sunday's] match against Verona."

Though Conte has publicly stated no ideas have been brought up about a potential replacement, TuttoMercatoWeb have claimed that Dejan Kulusevski is liked by Napoli and Conte along with Edon Zhegrova of Lille and Liverpool's Federico Chiesa.

The Sweden international has been in superb form this season with 15 goal contributions acquired in all competitions. He has also captained Spurs on a number of occasions, further showcasing how vital he is and the trust that Postecoglou had undoubtedly placed on him.

Kulusevski certainly appears settled at Spurs, however there are a number of reasons why he could be tempted to depart. Having played a significant portion of his career in Italy, it is certainly possible he is keen to prove many wrong after a challenging spell with Juventus

There is also the Conte factor as it was the ex-Chelsea boss, with the help of Fabio Paratici, that brought him and Rodrigo Bentancur to the Premier League and therefore there is already a relationship between the two.

Given his performances in recent months however, he will likely be deemed untouchable by Tottenham especially in the middle of a season but they may not prevent Conte from at least trying to seal a reunion.

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