Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is confident manager Antonio Conte will not leave to become the Italy national team head coach.
Conte is being linked with a return to Italy following Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation, after failing to qualify Italy for the 2026 World Cup, losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in last month’s play-offs.
Conte is one of the leading candidates to replace Gattuso, having previously been in charge of Italy before taking the Chelsea job in 2016.
The 56-year-old was in charge of the Azzurri at the 2016 European Championship, losing to Germany on penalties in the quarter-final.
Speaking to The Athletic, De Laurentiis has backed Conte to stay at Napoli, praising his professionalism and loyalty.
He said: “Number one, we don’t have, as of now, a head of the federation (the president Gabriele Gravina resigned). So nobody can decide to ask him. So first, we must solve the problem of the federation.
“Otherwise, we must wait for new federation elections, the middle of June. Antonio Conte is a very serious man. He has a contract with me. He will never abandon me at the last minute. Because it will create for Napoli a big problem.”
However, De Laurentiis also said that Conte would need to give him adequate notice if he decides to leave.
“Or he decides immediately and says, ‘I would like to go’. Then I have time during April and May to find a replacement,” he continued.
Conte has a year remaining on his contract and there are no indications yet that he is going to sign a new deal.
He guided Napoli to the Serie A title last season, but they are unlikely to retain it. They trail leaders Inter Milan by nine points, with six games remaining.
