MAURIZIO SARRI is reportedly close to a stunning managerial return with Lazio.
The former boss spent nearly three years at the Rome club
, who won the 2019 Europa League during his sole season with the Blues, was left unhappy with transfer business.
He saw key men like Joaquin Correa, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Francesco Acerbi depart while being replaced with “Plan C and Plan D”; targets.
And a fourth straight league defeat proved to be Sarri’s breaking point last year.
However, numerous reports in Italy claim the former Napoli and Juventus boss, who won the 2020 Serie A title with the latter, is now set to rejoin Lazio.
They are without a manager after seeing Marco Baroni resign just one year into a five-year deal following Lazio’s failure to qualify for Europe.
It’s believed club chiefs immediately reached out to Sarri to see if he was interested in a return.
And after being promised that Lazio will hand him a transfer window war chest, the chain-smoking tactician has accepted their proposal.
Sarri is now expected to pen a two-year deal worth £5million, with an automatic year-long extension worth a further £2.5m should Lazio qualify for the Champions League.
The Italians are now targeting several stars including Fenerbahce playmaker Sebastian Szymanski, Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares and even former midfielder Milinkovic-Savic, now at Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.
Sarri is also thought to have been promised that key men including centre-backs Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila will be kept on despite interest from numerous clubs.
Criticising Lazio’s transfer policy shortly before his departure last year, Sarri said: “Everyone else signs who they want.
“It seems to me that before, the club were clear about who was doing the transfers.
“If I ask you for a player who is Plan A, and you make me choose between C and D... It’s not like I did the market.”;
