President of Napoli Aurelio De Laurentiis says he will not stand in the way of Antonio Conte leaving.
According to reports, Conte is tempted by a return to the Italian national team who recently failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup as they miss the competition for the third time in a row.
Speaking after the league victory over AC Milan, he said: “Let’s not forget that in the final months of last season, the media were talking about my move to Juventus.”
He added: “The media need something to write about, and it’s natural for my name to appear on the list. If I were the president of the federation, I would put my name among the candidates for several reasons.”
Conte was in charge of the four-time World Cup winners between 2014 and 2016, leading the team at Euro 2016, where they were eliminated on penalties by Germany in the quarter-finals.
Conte to take over Italy?
Now, De Laurentiis has revealed that he will not stand in the way of Conte who he says will stay as long as Napoli are stable.
"If Conte asked me to allow him to return to the national team, I think I would agree."
“But as he is very intelligent, and as long as there is no serious suitor – which has not happened so far – I don’t think he would imagine himself at the helm of a completely disorganised entity.”
Gennaro Gattuso resigned as Azzurri boss on Friday after Italy failed to reach this summer’s World Cup and Conte may aim to step into the role once the season concludes.
Massimiliano Allegri and Roberto Mancini have also been linked with the Italy job but Conte is the frontrunner as the federation aim to bring in an experienced manager to lead the side.