Rafael Benitez confirms he is leaving Napoli at end of season

Rafael Benitez has confirmed that he will be leaving Napoli following Sunday's final Serie A game with Lazio.

Benitez has been heavily linked with the manager's job at Real Madrid after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked on Monday following two seasons in charge at the Bernabeu.

Benitez said: "It's always sad to leave a place where people treat you well."

"I want to thank the club, its president and the fans for what you have done for me.

"I want to say goodbye to this club and I want to end my cycle here with a victory and a place in the qualifying round of the Champions League."

The Spaniard claimed being away from his family for two years was a key factor and that he made the decision together with his wife a few weeks ago.                  

He added: "It was clear that my (time) here was finished and that I needed to look for something else for the future."

"A few weeks ago I spoke to my wife to try to convince her, but then I told (Napoli president) Aurelio (De Laurentiis) that it would not have been an easy task," he said.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he was not surprised that Benitez was leaving the club.

"Rafa told me immediately after he agreed to stay on last summer that this would be his last campaign because his family wanted him nearby,"  he said. "I want to thank Rafa, a coach that I really wanted two years ago."

The former Liverpool manager was out of contract with Napoli in the summer and leaves the club despite winning the Italian Super Cup with Napoli last month.

The Spaniard, who has also been linked with a return to manage in England, was a former youth team coach at Madrid and has previously won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup while in charge of Valencia.

Real president Florentino Perez sacked Ancelotti on Monday following a trophyless season at the Bernabeu that saw the club knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus in the semi-finals, and finish second to Barcelona in La Liga.