Will Allegri be shown the door? Napoli picks star Portuguese coach as his successor

Former Porto head coach Sérgio Conceição has emerged as the leading candidate to take charge of Napoli should the club end its collaboration with Massimiliano Allegri.

Details: Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis has expressed deep admiration for the 51-year-old Portuguese coach’s professional qualities and sees him as the ideal figure to oversee the team’s rebuild. Conceição has already come extremely close to being appointed at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium twice — in 2021 and 2023. However, on both occasions, the stumbling block was the unyielding stance of Porto’s hierarchy, which demanded full payment of his release clause.

With a potential move to Italy’s Serie A in mind, the Portuguese coach categorically rejected an offer from Turkish club Fenerbahçe in recent days. The proposal included a lucrative contract through 2028. Conceição has clearly set his priorities, stating that he wants to work exclusively at clubs from Europe’s top five leagues, and is now eagerly awaiting the decision of Napoli’s hierarchy.

It is worth noting that Sérgio Conceição knows the intricacies of Italian football very well from his distinguished playing career, having represented Lazio, Parma and Inter Milan in Serie A. During that time, he won a league title, two Coppa Italia trophies, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

Reminder: Congolese midfielder Noah Sadiki is attracting interest from major European clubs