Conte looking to become highest-paid Serie A coach at Napoli

Antonio Conte is reportedly looking to become the highest-paid manager in Italy as the combative coach continues negotiations to join Napoli. Gli Azzurri president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently claimed that the talks between the two sides will hit crunch time over the next week. Nevertheless, various reports out of Italy claim that the deal is all but completed.

These outlets also assert that Conte is earning a massive contract worth up to $9.75 million per season. Il Mattino also suggests that Napoli may soon be investing around $65 million in the coach. The huge sum would be handed out over three years.

There is, however, supposedly a catch to this specific contract. The news source claims that Conte is essentially demanding a departure clause in the deal. This would potentially allow the manager the freedom to leave after each season at the helm without paying any penalties. It remains to be seen if the typically frugal De Laurentiis will accept this proposal.

Conte comes with headaches, but has mostly delivered trophies

While the financial aspects of the potential agreement are massive, Napoli needs to make a significant splash this summer. After collecting the 2022/23 Serie A title, the club struggled mightily throughout the most recent season. Napoli failed to collect a trophy and ultimately finished 10th in the Italian top-flight table. De Laurentiis also appointed three different head coaches during the 2023/24 campaign in an attempt to right the ship.

Although the trio could not manage to get the club back on track, Conte certainly has an impressive history on the sidelines. Outside of his most recent stay with Tottenham Hotspur, the coach has guided multiple clubs to significant trophies over the last decade. This includes league titles with Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan.

Conte has historically had issues getting along with ownership and executives at his former clubs. De Laurentiis is also reportedly not an easy figure to work with as well. Nevertheless, Conte has also shown that he can bring home the bacon and deliver trophies. The current Napoli boss will now have to determine if the coach’s huge price tag will be worth the potential headaches.

Antonio Conte must convince star Napoli duo to stay at club

Assuming Conte is Napoli’s next manager, he will have a tough task trying to persuade stars such as Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to remain with the club. The Nigerian striker is a transfer target of several big teams, including Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

The current Ligue 1 champions also want to sign Kvara as well. The French side has already submitted a formal offer of around $85 million for the winger. De Laurentiis, however, reportedly rejected the proposal and is looking for a significantly higher fee.

The Georgian star is open to the move to PSG. His ongoing contract negotiations with Napoli have not led to finite resolutions. Kvara currently makes around $1.6 million and is looking to at least triple his income with the club. The winger also may not figure in his new coach’s plans either. Conte typically deploys a 3-5-2 system, which could very well move Kvara to an unfamiliar role.

Assuming both stars depart Napoli this summer, Conte’s task will get much tougher. However, he would, in turn, have serious funds to play around with to help build the team. Even besides the potential sale of Kvara, De Laurentiis is giving Conte a nine-figure war chest.

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