Napoli give Chelsea green light with Sarri
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that contract negotiations between the club and manager Maurizio Sarri have broken down, giving Chelsea the opportunity to swoop in.
'The Express' reported on Monday that Antonio Conte only has 48 hours left at Stamford Bridge, although they suggested his replacement would be Luis Enrique.
However, Chelsea could move in a different direction given the comments made by Laurentiis.
When asked about how negotiations with Sarri were progressing, he said: "There is no more time for [him], he didn't answer. Ask him.
"He has always just sent me to Allessandro Pellegrini (Sarri's agent), he never gave me an answer, he only replied: 'boh'!
"I have to take responsibility. At some point we have to move forward. I'm not saying he will leave. There is a release clause, we'll see what will happen".
Sarri's contract doesn't expire till 2020 and includes a release clause of £7million, which could be cheaper than if Chelsea were to move for former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique.