Maurizio Sarri on verge of Chelsea exit – but Eden Hazard being made to wait for dream Real Madrid move

Maurizio Sarri

The Italian boss led the Blues to Europa League glory with a 4-1 win against Arsenal in the Baku final last week, after clinching a third-place Premier League finish.

Sarri has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Massimiliano Allegri as head coach of the Serie A champions, and the Evening Standard reports that he was in Italy today to conclude a deal.

Juve are understood to have offered the 60-year-old a two-year contract with the option of a third, with wages worth more than £6 million a year.

The Stamford Bridge club will not stand in the former Napoli coach’s way and Frank Lampard is said to be among the favourites to replace him after just one season in English football.

Chelsea are looking to receive around £5 million in compensation as Sarri walks out with one year left on his contract in London.

Meanwhile, Hazard had hoped to seal his move to Real Madrid this week, but will now have to wait until after the international break.

Hazard will join up with his Belgium team-mates on Tuesday ahead of their European Championship qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Scotland.

The 28-year-old will still be a Chelsea player while on international duty, but his imminent move to the Spanish capital could be completed on his return after June 12.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.