Osimhen may learn under Conte or Benitez as Spalletti Giuntoli are set to leave Napoli
Spalletti has another year left on his current deal with Napoli after the club automatically triggered an extension clause in his contract
Growing tensions between Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis and coach Luciano Spalletti have become increasingly evident in recent days and reports in Italy claim that Rafa Benitez and Antonio Conte are the leading candidates to replace the Tuscan tactician.
According to Il Corriere della Sera, there has been radio silence between De Laurentiis and Spalletti recently and as a result, the Scudetto-winning coach’s future is now up in the air.
Spalletti has another year left on his current deal with Napoli after the club automatically triggered an extension clause in his contract. However, the 64-year-old was reportedly baffled that confirmation of that news came through on a PEC rather than being told in person.
De Laurentiis also failed to call Spalletti to congratulate him after Napoli won the Serie A title in May, a detail which hasn’t been overlooked according to Il Corriere.
The coach was not present for a press conference on Thursday, instead replaced by goalkeeper Alex Meret, as ADL announced further plans for Napoli’s title celebrations and their upcoming pre-season camp. The President did not mention Spalletti’s name once.
Whilst nothing official has been confirmed either way, Il Corriere dello Sport wrote on Friday morning’s print edition that Spalletti will leave Napoli no matter what.
In the event that he does leave, Rafael Benitez has been tipped by La Gazzetta dello Sport to take over, which would be his second stint in Campania following a two-year spell in charge between 2013-15. According to the pink paper, talks between the Spanish tactician and ADL have already begun.
Tuttosport, meanwhile, reported that Antonio Conte is the leading candidate to take on the mantle if Spalletti leaves before the start of next season.
Il Corriere dello Sport also reports that Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini and Fiorentina’s Vincenzo Italiano are also being monitored with particular interest.
Meanwhile, De Laurentiis has found himself in between a rock and a hard place, with Sports Director Cristiano Giuntoli also at risk of leaving the club this summer.
Tuttosport details how things are not all rosy in the Campania capital between the president and the sporting director.
It’s no secret now that sporting director Giuntoli is keen to leave Napoli this summer, a year before his contract expires, in order to join rivals Juventus. De Laurentiis has been open to this idea and the pair met recently to discuss the technicalities of his departure, such as which Partenopei targets cannot be signed by the Bianconeri and the legal structure of his exit.
De Laurentiis has identified a replacement in Bari’s Ciro Polito, who seems like the natural replacement for Giuntoli considering his close relationship with the Italian film producer.
