Juve lining up Del Neri to replace Zaccheroni

Sampdoria coach Luigi del Neri is set to take over the reins at Juventus, according to reports in Italy yesterday.

The 59-year-old will apparently sign a two-year contract next week after finishing the season with his current club, the Gazzetta dello Sport said.

Del Neri only joined Sampdoria this season having spent the previous two years with Atalanta.

Juve are coached by interim boss Alberto Zaccheroni who took over from sacked rookie Ciro Ferrara at the end of January.

The Turin giants have had a miserable season and will finish seventh, meaning they must play in the Europa League qualifying rounds next season.

Sampdoria, on the other hand, will qualify for the Champions League if they win at home to Napoli in their final Serie A match tomorrow, or if fifth-placed Palermo fail to win at Atalanta.

Del Neri is one of Italy's most respected coaches despite never having coached one of the big three teams - Juventus, Milan and Inter.

A former midfielder, he then spent 15 years coaching in the Italian lower divisions before finally coming to prominence at Chievo.

Chievo progress

The small and unfashionable team from Verona were in Serie B at the time he joined in 2000 but he not only took them into the top flight but also led them into the UEFA Cup in their first season in Serie A.

That earned him the dubious honour of replacing Jose Mourinho at then Champions League holders Porto, although he never even took charge of a single match, having been fired before the new season began.

A brief and unsuccessful spell at Roma followed before Del Neri moved on to Palermo, back to Chievo and then Atalanta.