Luciano Spalletti is Napoli’s hero after guiding the club to their first Italian Serie A after 33 years. It would be believed that he would stay at Napoli for a long time but this seems not to be the case if reports coming from Italy are anything to go by.
According to the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Spalletti is unhappy with the way Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is handling his contract extension talks and the two are currently not on talking terms.
As such, the newspaper has reported that Napoli have contacted former manager Rafa Benitez for talks over the possibility of taking over managerial duties if Spalleti leaves at the end of the season.
It should be remembered that Benitez, who has been at the helm of great clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea among others, also managed Napoli for two seasons between July 2013 and June 2015 and won 61 of 112 matches in charge (D26 L25).
Benitez’s last job was at Everton. He has been jobless since his sacking by the Merseyside club in January 2022.
A few months ago, it was reported that Spalletti was on the radar of several clubs that would need his services including Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur who sacked their managers in April and March respectively.
These clubs are still looking for a permanent manager for next season so Spalletti could get an opportunity in case his contract issues with Napoli are not resolved.
