Chelsea target Maurizio Sarri eyes new Napoli deal

Staying put? Sarri hopes to land a bumper new deal
REUTERS
Giuseppe Muro18 May 2018

Maurizio Sarri appears to be edging towards a new deal at Napoli after being praised by president Aurelio De Laurentiis at a dinner on Thursday.

Sarri has been prominent on Chelsea’s list of managers to replace Antonio Conte, who is expected to depart, especially as he can be bought out of his contract for £7million.

That clause runs until the end of the month but optimism is growing at Napoli that their coach will sign a new deal, removing that clause.

At an end-of-season dinner for the squad, directors and coaching staff, De Laurentiis hailed the work of Sarri, whose team challenged Juventus strongly for the Serie A title this season on a fraction of the budget.

Addressing the squad, De Laurentiis said: “Maurizio Sarri is the author and the sculptor of this season of great beauty. I thank you all for it.”

Sarri was greeted by chants of “Sarri, stay with us!” when he arrived outside the restaurant. He is looking for a deal of about £3.3million per year, a substantial increase on his current salary of £1.3m annually.

The change in mood has come as a surprise to some in Italian football, who had expected Sarri to leave. Relations between coach and president became increasingly strained towards the end of the season, with Sarri seeking substantial funds to improve the squad.

Sarri knows he could lose key players like Jorginho and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer and wants players of a similar level to replace them, whereas De Laurentiis appears to prefer investing in younger footballers with a potential resale value.

Chelsea admire the work Sarri has done in Naples but will have to switch their sights if he stays in Italy.

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