Sarri expects to be released by Chelsea

Maurizio Sarri expects to be released from his Chelsea contract, paving the way for him to take over as Juventus manager, Sky in Italy understands.

In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Sarri secured Chelsea a return to the Champions League by sealing a third-placed Premier League finish, before claiming the first major trophy of his career by lifting the Europa League.

However, Sarri endured consistent criticism from a significant portion of the club’s supporters throughout the season and, amid interest from Serie A champions Juventus, the 60-year-old held talks with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia on Friday.

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Sarri informed her he wants to leave Chelsea this summer and she promised to talk to the club’s owner Roman Abramovich about his future.

Sources have told Sky in Italy that there do not appear to be any major obstacles in the way of Sarri succeeding Massimiliano Allegri as Juve boss and it is expected to happen quickly.

Derby manager Frank Lampard, who spent most of his playing career at Stamford Bridge, has been linked with a return to Chelsea as manager.

However, Sky Sports News understands Lampard has met with Derby’s bosses to begin planning his transfer targets and squad priorities for next season with the Sky Bet Championship club.

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In anticipation of Sarri’s arrival, Juventus executives have proposed trying to sign Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier, who is also drawing interest from Napoli.

The Spurs right-back is seen as a potential replacement for Portuguese international Joao Cancelo, who looks set to leave the Bianconeri along with veteran Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic.