Challenge yourself with Craig Hope’s exclusive World Cup quiz for free by signing up to our brand-new newsletter World Cup Unfiltered. Get it HERE <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nBy TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER <\/p>\n
Published:<\/span> 12:32 BST, 19 May 2026 <\/time> <\/span> | Updated:<\/span> 13:31 BST, 19 May 2026 <\/time> <\/span> <\/p>\n
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Antonio Conte is believed to be on the verge of leaving Napoli – with one eye on taking up the vacant role with the Italian national team, according to reports in his home country. <\/p>\n
The combustible former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager took over in Naples in 2024, and immediately won the side their fourth Serie A title in his debut season. <\/p>\n
But a tumultuous 2025-26 campaign has given rise to speculation that the 56-year-old will move on, with Napoli coming a distant second to title-winning Inter in the league. <\/p>\n
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte and Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis have been in discussion about his possible exit since mid-April, with the head coach in recent weeks openly flirting with the idea of returning to international management. <\/p>\n
When asked about the role vacated by Gennaro Gattuso as Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup at the final hurdle earlier this Spring, Conte suggested: ‘If I were the president of the Italian Football Federation, I would consider myself’. <\/p>\n
The admission is said to have prompted a showdown with De Laurentiis, with the pair thought to have come to a respectful agreement about his future at the club. <\/p>\n
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Antonio Conte is set to leave Napoli after a tumultuous season on the Amalfi Coast<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Unhappy at Lazio, former Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri is thought to be the front-runner<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tension has also been roiling between Conte and one of his star players, Romelu Lukaku, amid a frustrating and injury-strewn campaign for the Belgian. <\/p>\n
With Conte nearing departure, Napoli consider one of their former coaches, Maurizio Sarri, as the front-runner for the position. <\/p>\n
Like Conte, Sarri endured a spell at Chelsea for the duration of the 2018-19 season, winning the Europa League but failing to endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful. <\/p>\n
Currently in situ at Serie A rivals Lazio, Sarri, who previously managed at Napoli between 2015 and 2018, admitted that he was far from pleased about how his season in Rome had played out. <\/p>\n
‘This season’s situation hasn’t pleased me,’ he told DAZN after defeat in the Rome derby on Sunday. <\/p>\n
‘I wasn’t listened to at all, and I’m far from happy. Perhaps the club isn’t happy either. Let’s finish the season and see if they have anything to say to me.’<\/p>\n
Should Sarri take the decision to return to the Amalfi coast, he would inherit a squad replete with Premier League outcasts who have flourished on Italian soil, including former Manchester United stars Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, and ex-Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour. <\/p>\n
AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri is another candidate under consideration at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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