Stefano Pioli is increasingly talked about as the favourite to take over at Napoli next season, with the current Milan boss seen as a safe pair of hands for a long-term project.
The Partenopei won the Scudetto only a year ago, but failed to follow up that success following the departure of Luciano Spalletti.
Although the squad remained almost intact, they struggled under Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona.
Antonio Conte had been the first choice for a while, but both parties seemed to get cold feet, sparked in part by Conte’s salary and also his demands on the transfer market.
President Aurelio De Laurentiis also wants someone who will not rock the boat too much and Pioli is known for his man-management skills.
Pioli increasingly Napoli favourite
La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia are now confident that Pioli is in pole position for the Napoli job.
His contract with Milan runs to June 2025, but that will not be an issue seeing as the Rossoneri have already decided to sack him at the end of this season.
Gian Piero Gasperini is committed to Atalanta, while Domenico Tedesco remains an outlier following his experience on the Belgium national team bench and Fiorentina’s Vincenzo Italiano slipped down the pecking order.
The plan is seemingly to commit to Pioli on a three-year contract, with the ambition of regularly qualifying for the Champions League.