De Laurentiis accepts Sarri may leave Napoli

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis accepts coach Maurizio Sarri could leave the Serie A club at the end of the season.

Sarri is reportedly a contender to take over at Chelsea, where Antonio Conte is under fire with his team sitting fifth in the Premier League.

Under Sarri, Napoli remain a chance to win the Serie A, but are four points adrift of Juventus with three games remaining.

De Laurentiis would like Sarri, who reportedly has a release clause of £7million in his contract, to remain, but he accepts the 59-year-old could move on.

“With or without, it depends on him,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It doesn’t seem right now to insist. Let him work quietly.

“Since January I have talked to him several times. If he finally wants to stay, for me it will be a great pleasure.

“If someone then had to pay the release clause, at that point I couldn’t do anything.

“But if he wanted to leave regardless, it would mean he has no more motivation and I will have to take note of this.”