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Antonio Conte is inching closer to being named Napoli head coach and a deal could be confirmed this weekend, according to reports in Italy.
The former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager has been closely linked with the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona job since April amid a torrid season for the 2023-24 Scudetto winners.
Napoli’s dismal title defense saw the team play under three different managers following the departure of Serie A winning manager Luciano Spalletti, with his replacement Rudi Garcia lasting just six months before being sacked in November.
His successor, Walter Mazzarri, was given just a seven-month contract for his second spell at the club, a decade after his first spell, but was sacked after four months and replaced in February by Francesco Calzona.
But as the season draws to a close, Napoli have intensified their search for a head coach to start next campaign afresh, and may have settled on the highly decorated Conte.
Antonio Conte is emerging as the big favorite to take over as Napoli head coach.
The 2023-24 Scudetto winners have gone through three coaches this season, starting with Rudi García (left) before being replaced by Walter Mazzarri (right).
Francesco Calzona was appointed in February but is not expected to continue in the role
according to several Italian outlets Including Sky Sport Italia, Conte has moved ahead of another of the club’s targets, Europa League-winning coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Gasperini claimed the first major trophy of his career on Wednesday night as his Atalanta side defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin, handing Xabi Alonso’s dazzling side the first defeat of their 2023-24 campaign.
The 66-year-old has been openly flirting with a move away from Bergamo, and when asked about speculation linking him with the Naples job, he said he was not resisting the idea of being tempted to take on a new role.
‘We are celebrating tonight, tomorrow I will speak with the president. We’ll see,” Gasperini said when asked if he would remain in his current position next season.
‘I’m in a strange situation, like when I’m married and have children, but I meet an absolutely beautiful woman.
‘Maybe it’s not a good example for me to say it on television!’
But Atalanta are believed to be keen to hold on to their coach, who has been in charge since 2016, and talks to extend his contract on Friday are said to have gone very well.
As well as winning Europe’s second-tier club competition, Atalanta also finished fourth in Serie A after an impressive season.
Napoli have also had long-term interest in Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
The third candidate, Stefano Pioli, is now a free agent after being released by AC Milan on Friday.
Napoli are believed to be somewhat disheartened by the force it will take to snatch Gasperini from their northern Italian rivals, while Conte has been a free agent since his departure from Tottenham in March 2023.
As such, talks have intensified and Conte is even reported to be considering a pay cut in a bid to seal the deal.
The third coach under consideration, Stefano Pioli, is also a free agent, having been sacked by AC Milan on Friday after five years at the club.
Despite finishing second in Serie A, Milan are currently 19 points behind their hated rivals Inter ahead of the final day of the season.