Chelsea have agreed a three-year contract with Maurizio Sarri to take over as the club's new manager, but still need to reach a resolution with Napoli.
Napoli removed Sarri from his post as coach earlier this summer and put Carlo Ancelotti in charge of the team.
But Sarri's contract with the Serie A giants has remained in force, meaning he still has an €8m release clause which must be paid, while Chelsea have also not yet moved to sack Antonio Conte.
A meeting was held in London on Tuesday to advance Chelsea's pursuit of Sarri, with a three-year contract being agreed, according to Italian broadcaster Sportitalia.
Now the matter has moved on to Chelsea trying to overcome the other obstacles which remain, such as finding an agreement with Napoli.
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The Blues do have backup plans in place, but appointing Sarri is their priority and they are moving forward towards doing so.
It is claimed that Sarri is the choice of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
