Napoli accelerate for Conte, talks ongoing as agreement nears

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and sporting director Giovanni Manna are pushing to agree terms with Antonio Conte, reports detail.

The Partenopei still haven’t found a new long-term coach yet, having considered a long list of candidates including Gian Piero Gasperini, Stefano Pioli and Vincenzo Italiano. Francesco Calzona is ready to oversee his last match in the Campania capital before returning to the Slovakia national team.

With Gasperini deciding to stay at Atalanta, Napoli have been forced to look elsewhere, prompting them to turn to Conte, who has been targeted by De Laurentiis since October. The Italian coach has been out of work since leaving Tottenham in March of last year.

Napoli accelerate for Conte

As reported by Giovanni Annunziata of Calciomercato.com, Napoli have held a new round of talks with Conte as they work to try and agree terms with the coach, keen to finalise a deal in the coming days.

The 54-year-old tactician wants to return to Serie A and had been hoping to join Juventus, but their decision to focus on Thiago Motta has pushed him towards the Partenopei. He could even accept a pay cut in order to complete the move to the Campania capital.