LONDON – Juventus have reached an agreement with Chelsea over a deal for Maurizio Sarri, according to Sky in Italy.
No official confirmation has yet been received from Chelsea but Sarri is expected to sign a three-year deal to become the new boss of the Serie A champions on Friday.
Juve announced in late May head coach Massimiliano Allegri would be leaving the club but the level of compensation for Sarri had held up his return to Italy.
That problem appears to have been overcome, however, with Chelsea expected to receive more than £5m, potentially leaving the way clear for Derby manager Frank Lampard to return to Stamford Bridge.
Derby have not yet received any approach for their manager, Sky Sports News understands, although Lampard had stated he would discuss his future with the Rams after they failed to beat Aston Villa in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
Whoever does replace Sarri will not be able to sign any new players, as things stand, with Chelsea having appealed against their two-window transfer ban imposed by FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Europa League champions were sanctioned in February for breaching rules regarding the signing of U18 foreign players, but were unsuccessful in their appeal to FIFA in May.
Chelsea will start their 2019/20 Premier League campaign with a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports, after the fixtures were released on Thursday morning.
‘Lampard perfect for Chelsea’
Meanwhile, Jamie Redknapp believes that Derby manager Frank Lampard would be the “perfect person” to replace Sarri as Chelsea manager.
Lampard has been linked to the managerial job at Chelsea following his successful first season at Derby where he lost to Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final in May, and Redknapp feels he would be a good fit at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking at Stamford Bridge ahead of Soccer Aid for Unicef, Redknapp told Sky Sports News: “Frank would be the perfect person. Sarri is still the manager right now so until that changes, if it were to change and if they need a manager next year, they need someone who’s going to come in and stabilise the club.
“They have lost their best player (Eden Hazard) and they have got a transfer embargo for two or three windows, so you need someone that everybody loves and they will give them time.” – Source: Sky Sports
