Antonio Conte appears ready to leave Napoli less than a year after guiding the southern club to its fourth Serie A title.
Openly Campaigning for Italy Job
Conte is openly campaigning for the vacant Italy job after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Such a move would mark a return for Conte, who already coached Italy at the European Championship a decade ago.
"If I were the federation president I would consider myself," Conte said after Napoli's 1-0 victory over AC Milan on Monday. "I've already been with the national team and I know what it's like."
Napoli's Title Chances Fading
The Italian soccer federation currently has only a lame duck president after Gabriele Gravina announced his resignation, with new elections set for June 22.
Napoli trails league leader Inter Milan by seven points with seven rounds remaining. Conte is not expecting another title.
"It's not a question of believing or not; it's about being realistic," Conte said. "We would have to be perfect and Inter would have to make several missteps. And from what we've seen, that seems unlikely because Inter is strong."
Serie A Around the League
Napoli moved into second place after leapfrogging Milan and visits Parma on Sunday.
Inter visits nearby Como on Sunday for its shortest trip of the season. Inter routed Como 4-0 in December, but Como held them to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals last month.
Inter's 5-2 win over Roma last weekend marked their first victory since February. Meanwhile, Como is unbeaten for nearly two months and sits in fourth place aiming to secure the final Champions League berth.
Player Updates
Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu scored a stunning 30-meter strike against Roma—his ninth Serie A goal of the season—to go with three assists.
Juventus center forward Dusan Vlahovic will miss another three weeks with a calf injury, having only recently returned from another muscular issue in November.
Vlahovic's injury problems could affect his contract negotiations with Juventus, which is offering a brief extension at a reduced salary.
— Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press