Carlo Ancelotti has been sacked as manager of Napoli.
The Italian went out on a high with a 4-0 victory over Genk in the club's final group stage game in the Champions League this season.
However, their poor form in Serie A has seen them not only trail the title contenders but also fall outside the European qualification places.
Ancelotti has been linked as an option for Arsenal after the Gunners dismissed Unai Emery as head coach in November.
Everton are also seeking a new manager after sacking Marco Silva while Manuel Pellegrini is under serious pressure at West Ham.
During his previous stint in England, Ancelotti won a Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea in 2010 before being unceremoniously dumped by Roman Abramovich in 2011.
"Napoli has decided to revoke the role of technical manager of the first team from Mr. Carlo Ancelotti," read a statement posted to the club's official Twitter account.
"The friendship, esteem and mutual respect between the company, its president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Carlo Ancelotti remains intact."
Napoli finished second in Serie A in 2016 and 2018 under Maurizio Sarri and came third in 2017. Ancelotti was able to guide them to the runners up spot again in 2019 behind Maz Allegri's Juventus.
Following Antonio Conte's appointment as Inter boss in the summer, a different club lead the title race as the start of 2020 approaches.
Lazio, Cagliari, Roma and Atalanta are all ranked ahead of Napoli with 15 games played. At the time of his dismissal, Ancelotti was seven points off seventh place.
If Napoli were to finish the campaign in this position, they would not qualify for the Europa League, let alone the Champions League, next season.
No manager can boast to have won as many Champions League titles as Ancelotti.
After lifting the biggest prize in European club football twice with Milan he led Real Madrid to their 10th title in 2014, beating Atletico Madrid in the final.
He might well have been able to count four Champions League titles had his Milan side not lost to Liverpool in the final shocking circumstances in 2005.
The Italians led the match at half-time in Istanbul 3-0 only for the Reds to come back in the second half and win the trophy on penalties under Rafael Benitez.
