Napoli have been testing the waters for replacements should Antonio Conte depart, and their president Aurelio De Laurentiis is particularly fascinated by bringing back Maurizio Sarri, Alfredo Pedullà reports.
He tops their shortlist, but the future of their present manager hasn’t been sorted yet. He has one year left on his deal, with no extension in sight. That’d generally lead to an exit, but he could stay as a lame duck.
According to Fabrizio Romano (via SOSFanta), Sarri is open to going back to Napoli after a challenging second run at Lazio. However, the Partenopei will take the next steps only after a sit-down with Conte.
Per Gianluca Di Marzio (via Tribuna), among all his coaches, De Laurentiis has the fondest memories of the current Lazio one, especially for his playing style. He’s under contract with Lazio for another campaign. The Azzurri fully plans to keep hold of director Giovanni Manna, even though he has suitors.
The manager cut his teeth in the lower leagues for a long time and had just one brilliant Serie A season with Empoli under his belt when the Partenopei hired them. He finished in the top three in three straight seasons, narrowly missing out on the Scudetto twice, before the relationship ran its course.
Our Take on Napoli and Sarri
Going with a veteran, especially one he’s well familiar with, would fit the patron’s MO more than rolling the dice with an up-and-comer. Contracts don’t mean a lot these days, but it’d be a clash of titans between hardheaded Claudio Lotito and De Laurentiis. Considering what happened with Juventus last year, Conte seems to be waiting until the last moment to decide. Therefore, everything is still on the table.
| Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |