De Laurentiis accepts Sarri may leave Napoli

While Aurelio De Laurentiis wants Maurizio Sarri to remain at Napoli, he knows the coach may depart.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis accepts coach Maurizio Sarri could leave the Serie A club at the end of the season.

Sarri is reportedly a contender to take over at Chelsea, where Antonio Conte is under fire with his team sitting fifth in the Premier League.

Under Sarri, Napoli remain a chance to win the Serie A, but are four points adrift of Juventus with three games remaining.

De Laurentiis would like Sarri, who reportedly has a release clause of £7million in his contract, to remain, but he accepts the 59-year-old could move on.

"With or without, it depends on him," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It doesn't seem right now to insist. Let him work quietly.

"Since January I have talked to him several times. If he finally wants to stay, for me it will be a great pleasure.

"If someone then had to pay the release clause, at that point I couldn't do anything.

"But if he wanted to leave regardless, it would mean he has no more motivation and I will have to take note of this."