Napoli have turned away from Luis Enrique, as president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the Spaniard sees the Premier League as a viable option compared to Serie A. The search for Luciano Spalletti’s successor has accelerated in recent weeks, and Porto coach Sergio Conceiçao is reportedly the number one target.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via TuttoNapoli), De Laurentiis has opened negotiations with the Portuguese manager, who has long been in the crosshairs, with Napoli even trying for him when Gennaro Gattuso stepped down two seasons ago.
Napoli may have found their replacement for Spalletti in Porto's Sérgio Conceição ?
Sky are reporting that Napoli have offered him a €6m gross salary per season.
Conceição was heavily linked to join Napoli in the summer of 2021, but the club ultimately chose Spalletti.
Luis… pic.twitter.com/cx0PJ7kvTH
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) May 30, 2023
Conceiçao is a concrete target, but Napoli will have to maneuver a couple of barriers in order to sign him ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. His contract at Porto expires only at the end of next season, which means Napoli are obligated to trigger his €10M release clause – a price they deem excessive.
De Laurentiis has reportedly made effort to negotiate with Conceiçao’s agent Jorge Mendes, with whom he shares a cordial relationship. If Mendes and THE Napoli chief succeed in convincing Conceiçao, the next step would be to involve Porto president Pinto da Costa in talks, with the aim of negotiating the fee.
Another barrier is the wage on offer for Conceiçao, who earns about €3M net per season at Porto. Napoli have reportedly offered €6M, according to Corriere della Sera (via TuttoNapoli), but it remains to be seen what actually makes or breaks the potential move.
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