Maurizio Sarri has moved to try to position himself at the front of the queue to replace Antonio Conte at Chelsea as Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed his departure from Napoli.

Chelsea have been deliberating over a number of potential candidates, including Luis Enrique, but Sarri is pushing hard to land the job ahead of the Spaniard.

Telegraph Sport can reveal he has employed an English-based intermediary to try to convince the Stamford Bridge club he is the right candidate to succeed head coach Conte, who is expected to be sacked.

And there are other moves behind the scenes aimed at making a Chelsea move for Sarri as smooth as possible.

Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to take over at Napoli, whose president De Laurentiis effectively announced Sarri's departure with a message posted on Twitter that read: "I'd like to thank Maurizio Sarri for his valuable contribution to the Napoli cause. He brought joy and prestige to Naples and Napoli fans all over the world with an entertaining brand of football that drew praise from all quarters. Well done, Maurizio."