De Laurentiis insists ‘I don’t think Conte will ever abandon Napoli’ despite Italy links

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is aware of that Antonio Conte is a potential candidate to replace Gennaro Gattuso as head coach of the Italy national team, but insists that last season’s Scudetto winner will not ‘abandon’ the team at the last minute: ‘It’s his creation, so he will kill his baby’. 

De Laurentiis gave an in-depth interview to The Athletic on Easter Sunday, published on Tuesday, discussing the changes he would like to see brought into football, the current issues surrounding Serie A and the national team and the future of Napoli head coach Conte. 

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De Laurentiis on Conte and Italy links: ‘He’s a serious professional’

Conte is one of the two leading candidates, along with Milan’s Massimiliano Allegri, to step in as the head coach of the Italy national team following the recent resignation of Gennaro Gattuso. 

Given that FIGC President Gabriele Gravina also stepped down following Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and the fact that his successor will not be elected until June 22, a decision on the next Italy CT will not arrive before the end of the 2025-26 season. 

Conte has previously hinted that he might be keen to return to the role of Italy national team head coach, a position he already held between 2014 and 2016, and De Laurentiis has confirmed that he will not stand in the coach’s way if he decides to leave. 

In his interview with The Athletic, De Laurentiis explained that it would be easier for Napoli in terms of contingency if Conte makes a decision on his immediate future sooner rather than later, but says that he does not expect the coach to leave the club high and dry at the last minute. 

“Number one, we don’t have, as of now, a head of the federation, so nobody can decide to ask him. So first, we must solve the problem of the federation,” De Laurentiis explained to The Athletic. 

“Antonio Conte is a very serious man. He has a contract with me. He will never abandon me at the last minute. Because it will create for Napoli a big problem. If he sacrifices himself after two years of creating a very strong Napoli, it is also his creation. So he will kill his baby, abandoning him just at the last minute.

“Or, he decides immediately and says ‘I would like to go’. Then I have the time during April and May to find somebody else to make the substitution. Otherwise, I don’t think Mr Conte will ever abandon Napoli. 

“He’s a serious, professional man. If I was a coach, before to accept, I will think 100 times.”