Juventus to conclude Sarri deal ‘in matter of hours’ — report

Maurizio Sarri was supposedly spotted at the hotel in Milan, where Juventus (and director Fabio Paratici, specifically) go to conclude their business deals, and is now just “hours” away from being announced as the new head coach of Juventus on a two-year contract with an option for a third year. (Meanwhile Simone Inzaghi, the other serious candidate, is set to sign a new two-year contract extension at Lazio.)

That’s the claim from La Repubblica, who even have a short video of a man who possibly looks like Sarri walking into the hotel. We never see the man’s face as it’s shot from behind, so make of that what you will.

Either way, the report fits the narrative that has developed over the last 24-48 hours, with Sarri’s usual intermediary, Fali Ramadani, greasing all the wheels necessary to get this thing moving. Sarri has reportedly asked to go and Chelsea have reportedly agreed to let Sarri go. It’s unclear if that’s the exact order of events, but the end result is the same: a separation by mutual agreement.

In fact, it looks like Juventus won’t even have to pay a dime to get Sarri out of Chelsea, though they apparently might forget to collect the “outstanding amount for Gonzalo Higuaín’s six-month loan” as a sort of “hidden” compensation. La Repubblica also posits that some sort of non-belligerence agreement could be included as well — Aurelio De Laurentiis would be proud! — which would prevent Juventus from going after Emerson and Jorginho. Fortunately, Higuaín’s not mentioned in this regard, so the assumption remains that he also goes (back) to Juventus.

In any case, this looks to be happening and happening soon.