Serie A giants SSC Napoli have stepped up their pursuit of Vincenzo Italiano as the club edges closer towards appointing a successor to Antonio Conte.
Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is currently holding talks in Rome with the 48-year-old coach, who is expected to leave Bologna FC 1909 after two seasons in charge.
Also present at the meeting are Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna and Italiano’s agent Fali Ramadani, with discussions focused on reaching a financial agreement.
According to reports in Italy, Napoli are prepared to offer Italiano a two year contract with the option for a third season, while the proposed salary is believed to be in the region of €3 million per year.
The former Spezia Calcio and ACF Fiorentina manager has emerged as De Laurentiis’ preferred choice to begin a new era at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Italiano is widely regarded as one of the most progressive coaches in Italian football following his impressive work at Bologna, where he helped the club remain highly competitive domestically while maintaining an attractive attacking style of play.
Should negotiations fail to produce an agreement, Napoli are expected to turn their attention towards Massimiliano Allegri, who parted company with AC Milan earlier this week after just one season in charge.
Milan’s failure to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League ultimately proved decisive in the club’s decision, despite sections of the Rossoneri support publicly backing the experienced Italian tactician in recent days.
Relations between Allegri and De Laurentiis are understood to remain very strong, with the Napoli president having previously explored the possibility of appointing the former Juventus coach in past years.
