Juventus have made Maurizio Sarri their top target to replace Massimiliano Allegri and reportedly want to announce the Chelsea boss as their new manager after the Champions League final.
Allegri won five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies during his five-year spell in Turin and Juventus are keen to appoint his successor in the near future.
Sarri has emerged as the Italian club’s first-choice target and the Chelsea boss met with Juventus officials last week with a view to becoming their next manager, according to Sky Sports.
It is claimed Sarri’s agent, Fali Ramadani, will meet Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia to discuss the terms of his exit on Thursday, following the Europa League final against Arsenal.
Sarri, who led Chelsea to a third-place finish in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup final, is said to be open to a return to Italy, having managed Napoli before joining the Blues.
Despite wanting to secure Sarri’s signature, Sky Sports claim Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici will not announce his appointment before the Champions League final.
That is because the Serie A giants are keen to keep their options open and could look to make a surprise approach for Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp or Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino.
The Juventus board are also believed to be admirers of Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi.
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has been heavily linked with a return to Stamford Bridge if Sarri does depart.
The former England midfielder took over at Derby County last summer and led the Rams to the Championship play-off final, where they were beaten by Aston Villa.
Lampard was asked about the Chelsea links after the 2-1 defeat at Wembley and said: ‘I’m not interested in the speculation.
‘It’s not more likely that I will leave [after Derby lost the play-off final]. I’ll sit down with Mel [Derby owner Melvyn Morris] in the next few days – he’s been brilliant.
‘I’ve got a two-year contract and I love working at this place. We’ll see what happens.’
