Napoli Demand Hefty Compensation Fee for Maurizio Sarri as Chelsea Managerial Saga Continues

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly playing hard-ball as Chelsea look to finally bring in Maurizio Sarri as their new manager.

According to a report from Italian outlet Tuttosport (via Football Italia), the club now want €20m in compensation from Chelsea before they let Sarri depart for the Premier League.

Napoli find themselves in a unique situation, with them still working on compensation for Maurizio Sarri, despite new manager Carlo Ancelotti having started work as the club's new manager at the beginning of the month.

The managerial saga has dragged on and on over the course of the summer, with Chelsea players left in confusion having already returned to their Cobham training ground for pre-season training.

Previous reports have suggested that Chelsea would pay Napoli €5m in compensation, but that has now increased dramatically and has only added to the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Sarri has, in fact, left Napoli though - something that was confirmed by the Napoli president at the end of last month.

"I would like to thank Maurizio Sarri for his precious dedication to Calcio Napoli, which has made it possible to give prestige and emotions to the city and to the blue fans all over the world, creating a model of play admired everywhere and by anyone.

"Bravo Maurizio. Aurelio De Laurentiis."

Meanwhile, Chelsea are struggling to agree a compensation package with current manager Antonio Conte - who is said to have been absent from training at Cobham this week.

Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

A recent report has claimed that Chelsea are hoping to officially appoint Sarri as the club's new manager on Monday, although it remains unclear as to whether or not this takes into account the 'new' €20m fee.