Conte & De Laurentiis make up at Napoli as coach’s exit looks unlikely

Antonio Conte looks increasingly likely to remain at Napoli next season after the coach and president Aurelio De Laurentiis resumed contact following a period of tension, with the pair potentially set to meet as early as Monday to confirm Conte will see out his contract.

According to Il Mattino, via IlNapolista, the two have already begun speaking again and a face-to-face meeting could take place at the start of next week should Napoli win at Pisa on Sunday, a result that would also mathematically secure Champions League qualification and second place in Serie A.

The rapprochement is being driven by pragmatism on both sides.

Conte has not put himself on the market and is not actively seeking another club, while the financial logic of walking away from an €8 million net annual salary is difficult to justify. The Italy national team job, once mooted as a potential destination, has largely fallen out of the conversation.

Any continuation would not involve a new contract but rather the honouring of the existing deal, with De Laurentiis expected to set out a clear new direction, a younger squad and a reduced wage bill, that Conte would be asked to embrace.

The president considers sporting director Giovanni Manna untouchable, meaning responsibility for this season’s underperformance is likely to be attributed to the coach rather than the recruitment department.

Sarri, Vincenzo Italiano and Raffaele Palladino had all been mentioned as alternatives, but with Conte and De Laurentiis back on speaking terms, those names appear to be receding. A win at Pisa changes everything.