Turin, 14 Apr. (LaPresse) – ‘Will Conte take charge of the national team? The team is his brainchild. Would he destroy it by abandoning it at the very last minute?’ So said Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, in an interview with “The Athletic”, regarding the future of the Apulian manager, who is under contract until 2027 and is among the leading candidates for the role of Italy manager. “First of all, we don’t have a federation president at the moment, so no one can decide to ask him,” he continued. “So first we have to sort out the federation issue. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for the FIGC elections in mid-June. Conte is a very serious person; he has a contract and will never abandon me at the last minute because that would create a huge problem for Napoli. If he were to walk away after two years of building a very strong Napoli side – which is also his creation – he would be killing his own baby by abandoning it at the very last minute.” Alternatively, “he decides straight away and says ‘I’d like to leave’. In that case, I’d have time, between April and May, to find someone else to replace him,” concluded De Laurentiis. “Otherwise, I don’t think Conte will leave Napoli. He’s a serious and professional person.”