Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has opened talks with Napoli, according to the Sun, which paves the way for their current boss Maurizio Sarri to depart Italy and join Chelsea.

What's the story, then?

The report claims that Ancelotti met the Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis in Rome with a view to replacing Sarri.

It goes on to say that Sarri's departure from Napoli would remove the need for Chelsea to pay compensation to snare him, which is a fairly major consideration in the light of the fact that the expensive payouts involved are reportedly a factor behind the delay in sacking existing manager Antonio Conte.

It also says that the potential chain reaction does not do much for Conte's hopes of remaining in West London, which may have flickered after he clinched victory in the final of the FA Cup.

Chelsea must move quickly

Just this week, two of Chelsea's London rivals - West Ham United and Arsenal - have appointed new managers already despite the uncertainty over the future of their respective managers setting in later than it did for Conte.

In a World Cup summer, transfer deals are going to be expensive and difficult to conclude swiftly so having a manager in place as soon as possible is imperative if the Blues are to assemble a squad capable of returning the club to the Champions League and being fit for the playing philosophy preferred by the new man in charge, whoever he is.

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