Jose Mourinho to make swift Serie A return?! Axed Roma boss in line to replace Walter Mazzarri at Napoli as he prepares to meet club president Aurelio De Laurentiis

According to The Times, the Portuguese manager, who was sacked by AS Roma on Tuesday, is in line to return to Serie A and replace Walter Mazzarri as Napoli manager. Mourinho is "expecting" to meet with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis later this week.

The 60-year-old was shown the door after Roma suffered back-to-back defeats against rivals Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana quarter-final and AC Milan in Serie A. The Times further reports that the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United boss is keen on continuing in Italy but wants to take charge of a team who are better resourced than the Giallorossi.

Reigning champions Napoli have also struggled to maintain their form from last season since Luciano Spalletti left the club. Rudi Garcia, who replaced the Italian, was sacked in November, while under Mazzarri - who joined the club on a short-term contract - the team has managed to win just four games out of the 11 they have played across all competitions.

It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will officially be drafted in by Napoli, who currently find themselves ninth in the Serie A table. They will be next seen in action in the Supercoppa Italiana final against Inter on Monday.