Rafael Benitez can stay on as Napoli coach "for the next five years" if club president Aurelio De Laurentiis gets his way.The former Liverpool boss is out of contract in the summer and official negotiations over a new deal had been put on ice.
With a dip in results earlier this year, it looked certain that Benitez would be leaving Napoli in the summer, but thanks to a resurgence in recent weeks that has seen the Azzurri climb back up Serie A and to within touching distance of the Europa League final, Benitez's stock has risen.
"I've told him he can stay for one year or he can stay for the next five," De Laurentiis told Radio Kiss Kiss after meeting with Benitez on Monday. "He can build a Napoli the way he did with Liverpool.
"If he stays, I'll be the happiest man in the world."
Benitez led Napoli to victory in the Coppa Italia in his first season at the helm, although defeat in the playoff for the Champions League in August began what became a steady decline in the relationship between the Campania club's fans and the Spanish coach.
Victory over Juventus in the Supercoppa earned him his second trophy as Napoli coach, but defeat in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia to Lazio appeared to be the final straw for De Laurentiis, who ordered the team into a training camp.
Results since then have been spectacular, with three wins in Serie A -- 3-0, 3-0 and 4-2 respectively -- and a 4-1 win at Wolfsburg, with a 2-2 draw in the return leg of that Europa League quarterfinal.
As a result, Benitez is De Laurentiis' first choice to sit on his club's bench next season, although he said he had never changed his mind.
"Between Benitez and I, there's always been a mutual feeling of respect and friendship," De Laurentiis added. "We met on Monday. I went to him and we were alone together. It was a face-to-face to clear things up regarding the situation in the crucial coming games for me and for him.
"We both share the desire, for different reasons, to get the maximum possible. I told him to try to convince his family -- 'Speak to your wife and daughter.' It would be perfect for them to live in Rome, where there are plenty of English schools. I would help them with everything. He could create a new Liverpool here and I would be delighted.
"He told me he's got to talk to his family and he'll let me know."
Benitez's wife and daughter still live in Liverpool and Benitez was criticised for leaving Naples during international breaks to spend time with them. He has been linked with a return to Anfield or as Manuel Pellegrini's successor at Manchester City, which would see him return to living with his family rather than in the hotel where he has spent almost two years overlooking Napoli's training centre in Castelvolturno.
Should Benitez instead opt to leave, De Laurentiis says "another equally good coach would arrive," with Sampdoria's Sinisa Mihajlovic being touted as the No. 1 candidate.
