Napoli President jokes to Conte after triumph : ‘Not going to Juventus, are you?’

NAPLES, ITALY – JUNE 26: Antonio Conte new SSC Napoli head coach and Aurelio De Laurentiis SSC Napoli president during SSC Napoli new manager unveiling on June 26, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis made a joke about reports Antonio Conte will leave for Juventus. ‘All we can do is care for you.’

The coach won the Scudetto in his first season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, pipping Inter to the post by a single Serie A point.

Despite that, the tension between Conte and President De Laurentiis has been palpable for several months, so his future at the club is far from certain.

Napoli waiting for Conte decision

During the title celebrations in Ischia last night, De Laurentiis referenced the rumours of a potential move to their bitter rivals.

“You are great, boss. You’re not going to Juve, are you?”

According to Repubblica newspaper, Conte laughed at this, but didn’t say anything in response.

“Let us enjoy the party,” added De Laurentiis. “Antonio, all we can do is care for you, nothing more.”

The President has been dropping repeated hints in the post-Scudetto interviews that the decision is down to Conte, but that he will not fight too hard to convince the coach.

“At a wedding, nobody asks if the husband or wife will cheat on their spouse,” De Laurentiis told TG1.

“They each just hope the other will be respectful and stick with the agreements made. I think someone needs to be happy in his environment, and if he is not and the atmosphere suffers because of it, he must change scenery.

“This is what happened with Luciano Spalletti. There is reciprocal respect with Conte, great professionalism, and I thank him, because this is what we’ve been lacking for two years.”

Juventus are not the only option, as new Milan director of sport Igli Tare has also put Conte top of his list for the summer.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Napoli too are preparing for a post-Conte era by proposing a two-year contract for Max Allegri worth €6m per season, plus performance-related bonuses.