Football Italia claim that Chelsea are still unwilling to pay Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli release clause, with said clause set to expire tonight.
The Italian manager is still technically employed by Napoli, despite having been replaced as manager by Carlo Ancelotti earlier this month. Italian rules state that until the contract is terminated by mutual consent, it remains intact.
Napoli have no intention to waive or reduce the €8million clause, and with it set to expire tonight (11pm GMT) and with Chelsea not willing to pay, the Blues will need Sarri to take the club to court.
Sarri and his lawyers will need to aim for contructive dismissal in order to terminate his contract, as he was sacked after reaching a new record of 91 Serie A points, and that means going through FIFA.
However, this matter could take a while to resolve, and Chelsea aren’t prepared to wait much longer.
They still have to decide on what to do with Antonio Conte with the Italian still having a year on his deal, while the Blues have also been in contact with Laurent Blanc about his availability.
