LONDON — Maurizio Sarri is set to leave Chelsea and take over at Juventus after the Italian champions agreed to pay around £5 million in compensation, sources have told ESPN FC.
The two clubs have been in talks over Sarri for more than a week, with Juve hoping to avoid paying to release him from his contract but Chelsea adamant that they want to be compensated.
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After Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici travelled to London for further discussions with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia, the Serie A club agreed to pay the amount needed to enable Sarri to become their new coach.
Sarri is expected to be confirmed as Juventus coach in the next 24 hours, and Chelsea will now turn their attention to securing his replacement.
Frank Lampard is widely regarded as the front-runner for the job despite having only one season of managerial experience with Derby, who he led to the Championship playoff final.
Sarri took Chelsea to third place in the Premier League and won in the Europa League, but had difficulty implementing his possession-based style and attracted hostility from some supporters.
In an interview with Vanity Fair in Italy earlier this month, the coach said he had grown homesick and wanted to return to Italy in the summer.