Italy Under-21 coach Ciro Ferrara could become next manager of Sampdoria

Italy Under-21 coach Ciro Ferrara could become the next manager of Sampdoria, according to reports.

The newly-promoted Serie A side are on the hunt for a new coach as they consider the man who earned promotion, Beppe Iachini, to be incapable of pushing the club forward.

Rafa Benitez turned down the offer this week, while fellow candidate Didier Deschamps looks set to replace Laurent Blanc as the manager of France.

According to the Secolo XIX newspaper and the Corriere dello Sport, Ferrara is prepared to terminate the contract that ties him to the Italian Federation until June 2013.

The papers claim that a contract is ready and it just requires a signature from the former Juventus coach.