The chain smoking Italian is poised to be named as the new Chelsea manager once contract negotiations with his former club Napoli, where he has already been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, have been sorted out – and once current boss Antonio Conte has been sacked.
Sarri’s agents are in London this week for talks and the deal is set to be completed in the next few days.
He has already agreed a two year deal with an option for a third with Chelsea, but his extraction from his deal at Napoli has proved complicated and is likely to cost Blues owner Roman Abramovich some £3.5m in compensation.
Sarri though is poised to go back and raid his old club for at least two players, with Napoli striker Dries Mertens, who would cost around £28m top of the list of strikers he wants, Chelsea having cooled their interest in Juventus hit man Gonzalo Higuain due to a £60m price tag.
Sarri also wants Napoli right back Elseid Hysaj, who would cost around £23m, Juventus centre back Daniele Rugani, at around £20m, Inter Milan’s Uruguayan midfielder Matias Vecino at £19m, Nice midfielder Jean Seri for £28m, and maybe even Napoli winger Jose Maria Callejon – although last night they looked set to miss out to AC Milan on that move.
It is an impressive list and Chelsea will have to act quickly, with their summer shopping having started much later than any of their rivals, with Sarri’s appointment having taken so long.
But Chelsea will offset that expenditure with several high profile sales in what is set to be a major reshuffling of the Stamford Bridge squad that Conte is leaving, before the start of the new campaign.
Flop striker Alvaro Morata, valued at around £60m, is wanted by Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
Brazilian forward Willian is a target for former manager Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Italy full back Davide Zappacosta is also set to be sold to Inter, while Brazil defender David Luiz is also a target for Napoli, and midfielder Danny Drinkwater will be allowed to leave.
Sarri tried to sign Rugani while he was at Napoli and is expected to once again try for the highly rated defender.
The former Napoli manager is set to bring ex Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola into his backroom staff, perhaps as Technical Director, but will also recruit his trusted compatriot Giovanni Martusciello, his former no2 at Empoli and currently on the coaching staff at Inter, to his coaching staff.
