Maurizio Sarri is expected to be announced as Juventus' new head coach after Chelsea reached an agreement with the Italian champions over a compensation fee to release the 60-year-old from his duties at Stamford Bridge, reports Goal.
The manager split opinion during his time in London but will leave Stamford Bridge with a European title for his efforts.
Bianconeri official Fabio Paratici has spent the last few days in London speaking with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia – owner Roman Abramovich's right hand and famously shrewd negotiator – concerning a deal for the Europa League-winning manager.
Sources familiar with the talks have confirmed that an agreement has now been reached and only the finer details remain.
And, while the exact compensation figure that will be paid to Chelsea is not fully clear, reports in Italy claim that the Premier League side will receive more than $6m in the deal.
What is clear, however, is that Sarri will earn around $8m per year across three seasons for his services in Turin, with the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side still in the hunt for a Champions League title which has eluded a team that has come close on several occasions in recent times.
As for technical staff, the role of assistant coach will be entrusted to Giovanni Martusciello, who had been working alongside Luciano Spalletti at Inter, while fitness will be overseen by current Chelsea trainer Paolo Bertelli.
Claudio Filippi will retain his position as Juve's goalkeeping coach, while roles will also be handed to Sarri's long-time collaborators Luca Gotta and Marco Ianni. In addition, retiring centre-back Andrea Barzagli has been offered a job, though the 38-year-old is yet to give an answer.
Juventus have reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea over a deal for manager Maurizio Sarri to join the Italian champions, Sky Italia and the BBC reported on Thursday.
There has been no official confirmation of the agreement from either club but Sarri, who won the Europa League with Chelsea, is expected to sign a three-year contract.
Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri left the Turin club at the end of the season but Premier League Chelsea wanted compensation for releasing Sarri to cover the final year of his contract.
According to Sky and the BBC, the clubs agreed a five million pounds compensation settlement late on Thursday and Sarri could be unveiled as Juve coach as early as Friday. Sarri arrived from Napoli in July 2018, led Chelsea to third place in the league to secure a Champions league spot, and then won the Europa League by beating Arsenal 4-1 in Baku.
Regarding Chelsea's soon-to-be-vacant manager's position, Goal has reported that former Blues icon Frank Lampard is being considered for the role despite having only one year of experience with Derby County – though he did only narrowly miss out on promotion to the Premier League.
Indeed, Lampard has been backed by another club legend in Didier Drogba, who offered the former midfielder his support if he feels ready to make the jump from the Championship to the English top flight.
