The names of Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso have always intertwined. During their heydays, the two men were teammates at Milan – as well as in the Italian national team – and are known to be close friends.

Nonetheless, the former Rossoneri pals have become rivals on the bench, as they met three times during the current campaign.

Pirlo led Juventus to two victories against Napoli – one in the Italian Super Cup last January, and the second in the rescheduled Serie A fixture from Matchday 3 – whilst Gattuso saved his job with a win at home in February.

However, this enduring saga could be set for yet another unexpected twist – at least if strange reports are to be believed.

According to Tuttosport (via ilBianconero), the current Partenopei boss is being considered as a potential replacement for Pirlo who could be sacked by the end of the season.

The Calabrian native’s rapport with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis deteriorated recently, as he is expected to leave the club even if he successfully leads them towards the next edition of the Champions League.

The report adds that Gattuso is a wanted man, as several other clubs are keeping tabs on him, taking information from super-agent Jorge Mendes.

The Portuguese famously represents Cristiano Ronaldo among other top players around Europe, but he is also close to the Napoli manager.

Nonetheless, it must be noted that most of the reports in the last 48 hours indicate that Max Allegri is the most likely candidate for the Juventus bench next season (Football Italia).