Antonio Conte has confirmed he will leave Napoli after two seasons in charge, bringing an end to a successful spell that included a Serie A title triumph.

Conte made the announcement following Napoli’s 1-0 victory over Udinese in their final match of the Serie A season on Sunday.

“It’s been an honour, really special to coach Napoli,” Conte told reporters after the game. “It’s been two great seasons, an exceptional experience. It was my decision, I told the chairman a few weeks ago. Napoli will always be home.”

The Italian coach guided Napoli to the league title last season, adding another historic achievement to the club’s recent resurgence.

Conte is now widely regarded as the leading candidate to become the next coach of the Italy national football team once a new president of the Italian football federation is elected next month.

When asked about his successor at Napoli, Conte jokingly suggested: “My advice would be to hire Pep Guardiola.”

Napoli ended the campaign on a winning note thanks to a goal from Rasmus Hojlund, who scored his 16th goal of the season after recently completing a permanent move to the club following qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The club is now expected to enter a period of transition, with Vincenzo Italiano of Bologna emerging as the leading contender to replace Conte.

Off the pitch, Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has reportedly rejected a $2 billion takeover offer from a consortium led by Underdog Global Partners.

De Laurentiis has often had a complicated relationship with Napoli supporters despite rescuing the club from bankruptcy in 2004 and overseeing one of the most successful periods in its history.

Napoli’s Serie A triumph in 2023 ended a 33-year wait for the Scudetto and was widely celebrated as one of the biggest stories in modern European football. Conte followed that achievement with another league title last season before bidding an emotional farewell to supporters with a lap of honour after Sunday’s match.