Conte back at top of Napoli wish list

There are reports that Antonio Conte is back at the top of the list of potential new Napoli coaches, ahead of Stefano Pioli, Vincenzo Italiano and Gian Piero Gasperini.

The Partenopei are in crisis and yesterday’s 2-0 home defeat to Bologna means even qualifying for the Conference League is going to be a struggle.

The squad has to be rebuilt and this is influencing the decisions made by President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

He had originally tried to tempt Conte out of his Sabbatical in January, to no avail, and there were suggestions in recent months that the former Inter, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur boss had fallen down the pecking order due to his salary demands.

Now Sportitalia transfer expert Alfredo Pedullà insists that the situation is changing, because Conte is climbing back up the ranks for his ability to whip a sluggish and mentally weak squad into shape.

Conte top of the pile

Gasperini would be the ideal for De Laurentiis, but seems unlikely to leave Atalanta after they reached the Europa League and Coppa Italia Finals.

Pioli and Italiano remain alternatives, as they are set to leave Milan and Fiorentina respectively this summer.

However, Sportitalia claim Conte is open to joining Napoli, so it is ultimately down to whether De Laurentiis wants to commit so much money to both his €7m per season plus bonuses salary and the inevitable cost of reconstruction.