Chelsea won’t get in Sarri’s way if Juventus pay £5m — report

Maurizio Sarri’s future at Chelsea looks more uncertain as the days pass by. Not even the outcome of the Europa League final on May 29 seems capable of changing that, with reports claiming that the club have already decided to part ways with Sarri, touting Frank Lampard as the favourite to take over.

Sarri has been linked with various clubs in Italy — most notably with Juventus, after they confirmed that Massimiliano Allegri is stepping down from the managerial post at the end of this season.

While most of the media chatter had come from Italy, today, the Telegraph’s Matt Law had his say on the matter as well. According to his report, Chelsea won’t stand in Sarri's way as long as Juventus pay the £5 million Chelsea still owe the head coach as per his contract (and avoid any of the shameful legal wrangling with Antonio Conte).

This is probably the strongest indicator yet that Sarri's future may indeed lie elsewhere next season.

On paper, Sarri has achieved minimum expectations by getting Chelsea a third-place finish in the Premier League, thereby guaranteeing Champions League football for next season. Chelsea were also whiskers away from getting our hands on the League Cup trophy, which was lost in a dramatic penalty shootout against Manchester City. And there is still a chance to get some silverware this season, with the aforementioned Europa League final to be played in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

However, the football itself has failed to inspire many and, by Sarri's own admission, has not lived up to the promised "fun" of Sarri-ball. With few, if any major reinforcements arriving this summer, it's questionable if it ever will. Regular booing from the fans, who haven’t really identified with the manager who, in turn, has made very little effort to change that, has soured the atmosphere around the club. Chelsea are said to be very aware of these factors when evaluating whether or not to keep Sarri as Chelsea’s head coach next season.

And so, with the coaching position uncertain, Hazard one foot out of the door, and a transfer ban still standing, an interesting summer lies ahead.