Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis concedes that he lost patience with Maurizio Sarri, but will not stand in his way if clubs want to talk to him.
The 59-year-old is still tied to a two-year deal with Napoli despite being replaced as head coach at the Serie A runners-up by Carlo Ancelotti.
Sarri has been linked with both Chelsea and Real Madrid recently and De Laurentiis says that he will be "very reasonable" with any club that makes an approach.
He told Corriere dello Sport: "I have always been very polite to him, I have always supported him.
"But at a certain point, if you have a contract with me for another two years but you start publicly expressing doubts, it sends clear messages of impatience and a lack of confidence.
"Maurizio never answered me [about whether he was staying]. If you close the door in my face, I will politely stay away so as to not disturb your work, but only up to a certain point.
"After that I have the right and the duty to protect the interests of the club and start to look elsewhere.
"If anyone comes to negotiate for him, I will be very reasonable.
"I am not a vindictive person and, I repeat, Sarri will always have my thanks."
