The morning talks today about the details of the agreement between Antonio Conte and Napoli: De Laurentiis accepted the maxi-salary of 20 million gross per season (the basis is three-yearly) and the five collaborators but asked Conte for a loophole, an escape route: in case of failure to qualify for the next Champions League, Napoli wants to have the possibility to terminate the contract. Because a season without UEFA income can be cushioned by the liquidity accumulated over the years by the extraordinary management of the club, but certainly not two consecutive seasons.
Hence the request: if Napoli does not go to the Champions League, Conte’s adventure would end at the end of the first season. Without severance pay or anything. Conte accepted, but he also demanded a very similar clause: beyond the placement, he wants an exit strategy that will keep him free at the end of his first year in Naples to take stock of his experience with the Azzurri. He knows well that De Laurentiis has a complicated character and knows that his character is not simple either.
For any reason, in short, by April, he will be able to ask Napoli to be released. Without negotiations, without paying penalties, without losing a euro. A communication will be enough. In practice, rather than a three-year contract, it is an annual contract renewable at the end of the 2024/25 season for another two seasons. At least, these are the aspects of the negotiation that are one step away from being defined in the last few days.