Antonio Conte reaches an agreement to become Napoli's next coach

Antonio Conte has reportedly reached an agreement to become the next manager of Napoli.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur coach, 54, has been linked with the 2023 Serie A champions and also AC Milan as he plots a return to the dug-out.

Conte has been out of coaching since he left Tottenham by mutual consent in March 2023 after they exited the Champions League and the FA Cup in quick succession.

Italian broadcaster RAI have reported that Conte and Napoli now have the outline of a financial agreement in place after a breakthrough in negotiations.

Conte - who has extensive Serie A coaching experience with Juventus, Inter Milan and others - had previously been stalling on a deal.

But RAI report, via Calcio Napoli 24, that a three-year contract worth €6.5million [£5.56m] per season, with Conte agreeing to sign targeted players, is now in place.

There is a caveat that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis will not directly intervene in football-related matters.

Other names in the frame include Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano, AC Milan's Stefano Pioli and Atalanta's Gian Piero Gasperini.

Luciano Spalletti led Napoli to their first Scudetto since 1990 last year before stepping aside, and the team has struggled to scale the same heights with Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona all serving as coach this season.

Napoli currently sit eighth in the Serie A standings, some nine points adrift of the Champions League places and currently on course to qualify for the Conference League.

They host Roma in their next fixture on Sunday.