Lippi to quit Juve at end of season

MARCELLO LIPPI has announced he will quit as Juventus coach at the end of the season.

The move is not unexpected and Lippi, who guided the Turin club to the Scudetto last season, has insisted that he has no plans yet for a new job even though there has been speculation that he may succeed Giovanni Trapattoni as Italy coach if the latter quits after Euro 2004.

Lippi, 56, is also sure to be linked with Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea. “I am going,” Lippi said yesterday. “I emphasise that I will not go to any other team. I have refused all contacts. So many clubs have phoned and I have turned them down.”

Lippi’s two stints with Juventus have been hugely successful with five Serie A titles, one Champions League and one Intercontinental Cup.

In recent weeks former Juve player Didier Deschamps has been strongly linked with the post at the Turin club after his success with Monaco.