Chelsea to announce Maurizio Sarri appointment on Monday?

Chelsea will confirm the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as their new manager as early as Monday, according to a report.

The Blues have been locked in talks with the 59-year-old and his representatives for the past few weeks, hitting a number of snags along the way.

Despite being replaced as Napoli manager by Carlo Ancelotti in May, Sarri is still contracted to the Italian club and it will take a £4.5m compensation fee to free him from his deal.

Chelsea have also had to put together a package for Antonio Conte and his backroom staff, who have been resigned to losing their jobs since midway through last season.

The Sun reports that Sarri could be in place within the next 24 hours, though, and the ex-Perugia and Empoli chief will immediately bring in Aleksandr Golovin from CSKA Moscow in a £27m transfer.

Golovin has attracted interest from a number of clubs after impressing at the World Cup with tournament hosts Russia, but Chelsea are confident of beating others to his signature.