Chelsea have reignited their interest in Maurizio Sarri to replace Antonio Conte as coach and are hoping to seal an agreement with the former Napoli tactician over the coming days.
After enduring a difficult relationship with Chelsea’s board of directors and first team squad, incumbent coach Conte looks set to depart Stamford Bridge after just two seasons, and the Blues are keen to recruit Sarri.
However, steps to bring the former Empoli coach were hampered by an €8 million release clause in his Napoli contract, which has now expired, report La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Chelsea now have a window until the end of June to land Sarri before the release clause becomes active again, and the Premier League club face a race against time to negotiate a deal with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
It has been suggested that Napoli may be willing to forgo a compensation fee for Sarri on the understanding that Chelsea do not activate the release clauses of any current Partenopei players, having previously been linked with the likes of Dries Mertens, Elseid Hysaj and Raul Albiol.
Meanwhile, should an agreement be reached, Chelsea icon and former Napoli star Gianfranco Zola would return to Stamford Bridge as Sarri’s assistant.
Napoli have already secured a replacement for Sarri in the shape of ex-Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti.
