Pep Guardiola is being courted by the Italian football federation, with talks held to persuade the former Manchester City boss to move into international management, according to reports.
Italy's Desperate Need for Reform
Italy are in desperate need of reform after failing to qualify for three consecutive World Cup finals. Gennaro Gattuso agreed to leave his post as head coach after Italy's disappointing defeat in the qualifying play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Their search for a new manager has seemingly taken them to the door of Guardiola, who has previously opened the door to managing a national team.
Guardiola, 55, left Manchester City at the end of the 2025-26 campaign after a decade at the helm and has played down talk that he could resume his managerial career sooner rather than later.
Talks with Paolo Maldini
The Times reports that Paolo Maldini, acting in his new role as technical director of the Italian football federation, held talks over three days with Guardiola in Barcelona at the weekend with his adviser, Leonardo. Maldini and Leonardo are said to have a good relationship with Guardiola, who would be regarded as a major coup for Italy if he can be enticed to succeed Gattuso.
Guardiola's salary is likely to be an obstacle in any bid to make him Italy's next manager, with the Catalan coach's demands likely to be far more significant than any previous incumbents.
Previous England Interest
Interest in Guardiola comes just days after it emerged that he had a verbal agreement with the Football Association to become England's next manager following Gareth Southgate's decision to stand down after Euro 2024. However, Guardiola subsequently had a dramatic change of heart and ended up staying at Manchester City for two more years.
Guardiola is said to have expressed a desire to manage England in the future to those close to him. The position is currently held by Thomas Tuchel, whom the FA turned to after Guardiola's U-turn. Tuchel has been heavily scrutinised over the manner of England's crushing World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Though there is bitterness over England's decision to drop deep after taking the lead against Argentina, Tuchel did guide the Three Lions to their best finish at a World Cup finals since their triumph in 1966 as a result of beating France 6-4 in the bronze final.
