Napoli are insisting on a clause in the deal for Maurizio Sarri that stipulates that the coach can’t sign any players from Napoli while at Chelsea, with the exception of Jorginho, who will come as part of the deal for the new coach.
That’s according to the Evening Standard, who don’t take any half measures when describing the clause. As they put it:
“Napoli president De Laurentiis will not let the move go ahead until he has assurances none of the club’s other top talent will move to Stamford Bridge while Sarri is there.”
They also quote Napoli’s lawyer, Mattia Grassani:
“De Laurentiis wants to leave nothing to chance for the time Sarri will be at Chelsea.”
It’s a pretty major demand from the club, and quite an unusual one. There have been tons of rumours linking other players beyond midfielder Jorginho to the club, so it’s an understandable attempt by the Italian club to force this addition.
Carlo Ancelotti has arrived and they have one of the best teams in Europe. There’s no need for them to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and they will want to keep that solid core together for their new marquee manager.
Chelsea would be frustrated, but there are plenty of good targets out there, and their budget will be heavily depleted by this manager-player double purchase anyway.
