Maurizio Sarri: The Italian appears to be on his way out of Napoli
Maurizio Sarri: The Italian appears to be on his way out of Napoli

2/1 Maurizio Sarri fuels Chelsea links after Napoli exit hint


Maurizio Sarri has dropped a strong hint that his time at Napoli is drawing to a close amid reports suggesting he will leave the Serie A club.

The 59-year-old coach has been linked with Premier League side Chelsea - and 2/1 with Sky Bet to be the FA Cup winners' next boss.

Talks over a new contract at Napoli have stalled in recent weeks, with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis saying this weekend that "time is up" for the Naples-born tactician to make a decision over his future.

Following Sunday's 2-1 home victory over Crotone, which saw the Azzurri end the season with 91 points but finish as runners-up to Juventus, Sarri told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Everything in life ends and it is better to finish things after writing a beautiful story.

"I don't know if I will stay, I have to talk about it with my family.

"The situation is complicated. You can't say you're ready to go and try again with this squad when you don't know that everyone will remain here. I don't know if the club will manage to keep the players who have release clauses when offers will come in from big clubs.

"What I do think is that I could not go directly to another Italian team, and that if I had to make a change I would prefer to go abroad."

Napoli led the championship at certain times during the recently-concluded campaign and were only cut adrift by champions Juve over the final few fixtures, with the final gap standing at four points.

Former Empoli boss Sarri, who joined Napoli in June 2015, added: "We devoted so much to getting more than 90 points and until now that's all I'd been thinking about.

"Tomorrow (Monday) I will talk to my family and work out what is the best thing to do. I know the president needs an answer from me as soon as possible as he needs to plan."

On Sunday De Laurentiis had told Gazzetta.it: "Is Sarri staying? You'll have to ask him. He's never wanted to answer, always leaving it to his agent.

"For me the deadline has passed, time is up. We have to move forward. I'm not saying he'll leave but there is a release clause and we'll see what happens."


Chelsea celebrate winning the 2018 FA Cup

Next permanent Chelsea manager (via Sky Bet)

Maurizio Sarri - 2/1
Luis Enrique - 9/4
Carlo Ancelotti - 5/1
Brendan Rodgers - 10/1

Click here to see the list in full, along with more odds from the online bookmaker...


Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife

Odds correct as of 0930 BST 21/05/18

Related football links

Like what you've read?

MOST READ FOOTBALL

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content

FOOTBALL TIPS

We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo