Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus

Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Italy's head coach Luciano Spalletti gestures during the soccer Nations League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany in Milan, Italy, on March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti was in Turin on Thursday finalizing a deal to replace the fired Igor Tudor at Juventus.

Prepared to try and make the record 36-time Serie A champion a contender again, Spalletti stopped for selfies with Bianconeri fans before entering the club headquarters.

Juventus has reportedly already reached an agreement with Spalletti to coach the club through the end of the season, with an automatic renewal if the team qualifies for the Champions League.

Tudor was fired on Monday following three straight losses and an eight-match winless run that dated to Sept. 13. The unfortunate run was ended on Wednesday after a 3-1 win over Udinese under interim coach Massimo Brambilla.

Spalletti would become Juventus’ third full-time coach since Massimiliano Allegri was fired in May 2024. Including caretakers, he would be the club’s fifth coach in that span.

Thiago Motta was fired by Juventus in March and replaced by Tudor, who helped the club secure Italy’s last Champions League spot with a fourth -place finish last season.

Juventus hasn’t won Serie A since 2020 when it concluded a run of nine straight titles.

The team is seventh in the standings, six points behind leaders Napoli and Roma.

In the Champions League, Juventus has drawn two and lost one and sits in the elimination places.

The 66-year-old Spalletti is best known for leading Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023. Then he had an unsuccessful run with Italy and was fired in June when the Azzurri got off to a poor start in World Cup qualifying.

Spalletti has also coached Empoli, Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese, Ancona, Roma, Zenit St. Petersburg and Inter Milan.

At Juventus, Spalletti would join his son, Federico, who is a scout for the club.

Spalletti could make his debut at Cremonese in Serie A on Saturday. Juventus then hosts Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League three days later.

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Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus | iNFOnews.ca
Juventus’ head coach Igor Tudor shouts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Real Madrid and Juventus in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus | iNFOnews.ca
Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz, right, fights for the ball with Udinese’s Kingsley Ehizibue during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Fc and Udinese in Turin, Italy, Wednesday Oct. 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus | iNFOnews.ca
Juventus’s Federico Gatti celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and Udinese in Turin, Italy, Wednesday Oct. 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Former Napoli and Italy coach Luciano Spalletti finalizing deal at Juventus | iNFOnews.ca
Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Fc and Udinese in Turin, Italy, Wednesday Oct. 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

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