Sarri set for Chelsea meeting or Zenit visit or both or neither — reports

As Aurelio De Laurentiis basks in the glory of landing Carlo Ancelotti to be the next manager of Napoli, the question of Maruzio Sarri’s future comes into even greater focus.

Despite Twitter messages from the owner thanking him for his service to the club and city, Sarri’s contract with Napoli appears to have not been cancelled just yet. And that makes sense for ADL. The contract carries plenty of tangible value — upwards of the €8m buyout clause which may or may not have expired on Tuesday — and even if he has to continue paying Sarri for a few more weeks, it’s certainly cost that he can handle. After all, most clubs count the fiscal year through the end of June, so the costs of Sarri’s wages will have been already accounted for in Napoli’s books.

There were hints a few weeks ago at a similar scenario in fact, with De Laurentiis holding the keys to Sarri’s future even if a new coach is appointed. And that’s not where the complications end, even if we assume that Conte will actually be sacked soon and ADL will eventually let Sarri go for a token sum.

Sarri may or may not want the Chelsea job, but the only team to make a concrete offer so far have been Zenit St. Petersburg (€4m per year). The Blues meanwhile need some convincing.

According to Sportitalia (via Football Italia), that bit of convincing might occur tomorrow (Thursday) in a face-to-face meeting in London. But other reports, such as this one from Sky Italia, seem to think Zenit remains the more likely option, with the Russian Premier League side intending to invite Sarri for a meet-and-greet this week as well. Where Sarri flies, if anywhere, might give a strong hint as to his eventual destination.

Or it might not.

There are plenty of twist and turns ahead still.