Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was back at the Cobham training ground on Monday, putting the Blues players through double sessions on day one of the preseason. Conte was business as usual despite the fact that his day at the club are numbered.
Napoli Chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, at a news conference unveiling Carlo Ancelotti as the new boss of his club, revealed that Chelsea will soon finalize a deal installing Maurizio Sarri as the new Blues boss.
Sarri is the man Ancelotti is replacing, with the former pegged to replace Conte at Stamford Bridge since May, but the move is being held up by a dispute between the two clubs over compensation.
Since Chelsea failed to meet Sarri’s release clause by the deadline, De Laurentiis is now holding out for a reported €8m (£7m) in compensation.
As for Conte, it will cost Chelsea £9 million to jettison him, as that is how much he is owed for the final year of his contract. Thus, the Bridge will likely have to pay out £16 million just to make their managerial switch. Chelsea have yet to sign a player this summer transfer window, but it is thought that once the regime change is done, a few transfers will follow.
De Laurentiis revealed that Chelsea are also closing in on Napoli midfielder Jorginho.
Also, it seems to be widely understood that Sarri’s arrival could also prompt the arrival of CSKA Moscow Aleksandr Golovin and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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