At the height of the crisis and debate about the future of Italian football, with no decision yet on who will succeed Gabriele Gravina at the helm of the Federation, all other data points to one conclusion: for now, Antonio Conte is the favorite candidate to take over the national team. To further fuel this hypothesis, president De Laurentiis added that if Conte asked him to leave, he would let him go. This detail even made the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Everyone says Conte”, writes La Gazzetta on the front page.

Of course, this discussion will take a little more time, as initially neither De Laurentiis nor Conte want to give more voice to this discussion at a time when the team is still competing in Serie A. Important at this point are a few details.

First, Conte was open about returning to the helm of Italy, in fact he said this a long time ago after leaving the national team: "One day I will return", Conte said at the time. Maybe this is the moment. Second, Conte is under contract with Napoli until 2027, but De Laurentiis expressed his willingness to let him go. Third, in these conditions it is difficult for Italy to find a coach, a higher profile, than Antonio Conte.

Aware of Conte's desire, De Laurentiis and the Italian media have already begun work to understand who could be his successor at the helm of Napoli. The main candidate is Thiago Motta, unemployed since leaving Juventus. Other names on the waiting list include Fabio Grosso, Vincenzo Italiano and Daniele de Rossi.