Maurizio Sarri could be Chelsea's new manager by the end of the week, with the Premier League side expected to agree a £9.5m compensation package with current boss Antonio Conte.
Sarri, the former Napoli boss and Gianfranco Zola, are expected to form a new-look management team with the latter understood to be ready to cut short his punditry role for South African TV and fly to London on Wednesday to get the deal over the line.
Despite appointing Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager, Sarri is still contracted to the club he guided to second in Serie A last season and Napoli are believed to want around £3.5m for the 59-year-old, according to the Daily Mail.
Conte has been Chelsea's manager since 2016 and won the Premier League in his first season in charge. However, the Blues mounted a miserable defence of the crown they won so convincingly and finished fifth this season, though ended the campaign on a high by winning the FA Cup.
Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique have also been linked with his job, but it appears Sarri is closing in on the hotseat.
Zola, meanwhile, spent seven years as a Chelsea player and is regarded as one of their greatest. Having arrived from Parma in 1996, the 51-year-old played 229 Premier League games and won the Cup Winners Cup, two FA Cups and the League Cup.
Zola is regarded by many fans as their greatest ever player
Comments