By Wayne Veysey

21st Mar, 2023 | 11:23am

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte launched astonishing rant after Daniel Levy blocked him from signing two stars - sources

Antonio Conte unleashed his incendiary Tottenham rant after Daniel Levy made it clear he would not be able to sign two of his top transfer targets, sources have told Football Insider.

The Italian wanted to bring in two of his former Inter Milan stars, Romelu Lukaku and Stefan De Vrij, as he looked to turn Spurs into a title-challenging team.

But Levy made it clear to Conte that the club would not sanction deals this year for the striker, who turns 30 in May, or the centre-back, who is 31.

The news is believed to have hugely frustrated Conte and contributed to the anger and emotion that led to his astonishing press conference last Saturday.

It is expected that he will be sacked by Tottenham, potentially even as early as Tuesday, with the club believing he will not be able to get the best out of the players he so publicly derided.

Lukaku is on a season-long loan at Inter from Chelsea, where he is due to return in the summer, while De Vrij is out of contract at the end of the season.

The Holland international has been offered a one-year extension by the cash-strapped Serie A club but has yet to accept while the club’s managerial situation is up in the air.

The Tottenham hierarchy want to target a different profile of player to the demanding Conte.

Levy and the board are keen on young, hungry players with the potential to be developed on the training ground, while Conte wants proven stars with title-winning mentalities able to make an immediate impact.

The problem for Spurs is many of them are on huge salaries, such as Lukaku, even if their transfer values have diminished in recent times.

IIn other news, Tottenham chief quits for new role.