Antonio Conte's stance on Harry Kane as he compiles Tottenham transfer wishlist

Antonio Conte is on the verge of becoming the next Tottenham manager following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.

Spurs announced the departure of the Portuguese boss on Monday morning and didn't hang around to find his successor as they approached the Italian.

Conte rejected the north London club in the summer, but is set to sign a contract until the end of the season, reportedly worth £20million.

Conte's appointment will be confirmed on Tuesday with the former Chelsea boss set to take training for the first time.

One of the reasons Conte rejected Daniel Levy's approach in the summer was that he didn't want to join a club that could potentially lose their best player in Harry Kane who was linked with a move to Manchester City.

Antonio Conte is set to become the new Tottenham boss ( Image:

REUTERS)

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But the England striker ended up staying put and the Telegraph claims the former Inter Milan coach is impressed with Levy's refusal to sell the club's prized asset, as well as their summer additions, which has convinced him that Spurs are heading in the right direction.

Conte will be given money to spend in January, however, as he looks to put his own stamp on the team.

And it's claimed that a centre-half is at the top of his "wishlist" due to Tottenham's well-documented struggles in defence.

Three names are reportedly on Spurs' radar with Conte an admirer of Stefan De Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, who were a part of Inter's title-winning season, and Matthijs de Ligt at Juventus.

Spurs announced Nuno's exit in a statement on Monday morning.

It read: "The club can today announce that Nuno Espírito Santo and his coaching staff Ian Cathro, Rui Barbosa and Antonio Dias have been relieved of their duties."

Spurs chief Fabio Paratici said: "I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed and I regret that we have had to take this decision.

"Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We would like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future."

The statement added: "A further coaching update will follow in due course."