The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has immediately moved to deny reports Napoli have contacted Italy coach Roberto Mancini to offer him Luciano Spalletti’s role.
The Champions of Italy are looking for a new tactician after Spalletti decided to take a sabbatical and move on from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Numerous options have been mentioned in the media, but today the Corriere dello Sport had an exclusive front page story insisting President Aurelio De Laurentiis had personally contacted Mancini to discuss the job.
The FIGC reacted swiftly to this news and asked Mancini if there had been any conversations, then immediately passed it on to news agency ANSA.
“The CT of the Italy team, Roberto Mancini, has not received any calls from Aurelio De Laurentiis or his emissaries to take the Napoli bench,” read the statement.
“We have spoken to the coach about this and he has a contract with the Azzurri until 2026.”
Mancini has been at the helm of the Nazionale since May 2018, winning the EURO 2020 tournament and twice reaching the Final Four of the Nations League, but also failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Options linked with the Napoli role include Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Vincenzo Italiano.