Report: Sarri-Chelsea talks over

By Football Italia staff

There are reports Maurizio Sarri told his closest collaborators that the move to Chelsea has been essentially abandoned.

According to CalcioNapoli24, the tactician confessed to his friends and co-workers that negotiations have broken down definitively.

The situation has been deteriorating over the last few days, when the club refused to pay the €8m release clause in his contract.

As that expired last night, Napoli made it clear through their lawyer Mattia Grassani today that “anyone who wants Sarri will have to negotiate directly with Napoli.

“Sarri is under contract until June 30, 2019. Napoli have already warned other clubs interested in Sarri that he is still on the payroll of this side. There are no clauses that allow Sarri to negotiate with other clubs without Napoli’s consent.”

Alternatives for Chelsea include Laurent Blanc and potentially ex-Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, fresh from a third consecutive Champions League trophy.

This afternoon, Sarri's agent Alessandro Pellegrini shrugged off Sportitalia questions: "I don't know who Chelsea are, are they a football club?"

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