Sarri tried to 'dismantle' squad upon Chelsea switch, says Napoli chief

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has accused former manager Maurizio Sarri of attempting to break up his Partenopei squad and take several stars with him to new club Chelsea.

Sarri, dismissed by De Laurentiis and replaced with Carlo Ancelotti after the club's second-place finish in Serie A last term, brought Italy midfielder Jorginho with him to Stamford Bridge.

However, De Laurentiis has now claimed Sarri tried to steal away more than just one player. "He wanted to take my whole team to England and dismantle it. I had to lay down the law to (Chelsea director) Marina (Granovskaia)," the 69-year-old told Sky Sports Italia, per Reuters.

De Laurentiis, who has ruled out a move to re-sign former star striker Edinson Cavani, also revealed he allowed Jorginho to leave Stadio San Paolo after discussions with Ancelotti.

"He (Sarri) wanted Jorginho and I gave him away after I talked to Ancelotti, who told me he was banking a lot on (Amadou) Diawara and that he wanted to play (Marek) Hamsik deeper."

Sarri's first season as Chelsea boss will kick off with the Community Shield joust against Premier League champion Manchester City on Aug. 5, while Napoli's Serie A season gets underway Aug. 19.