German national newspaper Bild has reported that Julian Nagelsmann has held talks with Napoli to take over as manager of the Serie A Champions.
The 25-year-old is said to have held discussions directly with Club President Aurelio De Laurentiis to take over from the departing Luciano Spalletti.
Bayern Munich sacked Nagelsmann in March and has since been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham in the past few months. However, the German told Chelsea down who have now appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager.
Spurs talks stalled
He did resume talks with Spurs late in May but wanted the club’s assurances over appointing a Sporting Director. Tottenham have now identified Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou as their new manager.
Bild claims that the young manager has asked Napoli for time before he takes a concrete decision over his future. The report interestingly claims that any decision to move to Naples will depend on a transfer fee, as Nageslmann has a contract with Bayern till 2026. The German Champions could demand over €11m in transfer fees which could potentially be a stumbling block.
Nagelsmann would succeed Spalletti
It will be interesting to see if Naglesmann does succeed Spalletti as manager of the Serie A side that won their first league title in over three decades.
However, the 64-year-old will now be taking a sabbatical from the sport after his relationship with De Laurentiis became fractious.
The pair were in disagreement over the running of the club which led to Spalletti deciding to leave his position.
Succeeding at Naples has never been easy, particularly if an overseas manager takes over. The club demands entertaining football while challenging for titles and also handling the ultras off the field.
Napoli are also interested in Vincenzo Italiano and Thiago Motta however both are under contracts with Fiorentina and Bologna respectively.
Former manager Rafa Benitez is also in the fray who enjoyed a successful spell at the club from 2013 -15 leading them to the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup titles.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Sven Simon
