The Italian football federation (FIGC) has held talks with Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti regarding the national team manager position, confirmed newly appointed technical director Paolo Maldini.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, the former Azzurri defender and captain confirmed the federation’s ambitious shortlist. “Honestly, today we can’t give news about what’s happening,” Maldini told reporters when asked specifically about Guardiola.
But he did confirm that the FIGC had also approached legendary Italian manager Ancelotti, currently in charge of the Brazil national team.
“We can’t hide that we also talked with Carlo Ancelotti before talking with Pep. Honestly, it seemed right to start with the best in the world, to see their general availability.”
The pursuit follows Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, which triggered the resignation of head coach Gennaro Gattuso. FIGC president Gabriele Gravina also stepped down, and was succeeded by Giovanni Malagò, a prominent member of the Italian Olympic Committee.
But the hot seat in the dugout has remained vacant. Under-21 boss Silvio Baldini has been the caretaker manager of the senior team since April, and coached them to 1-0 wins over Luxembourg and Greece during the June international friendlies, while Maldini leads the hunt for a permanent hire capable of rebuilding the struggling national side.
Any new head coach would have to arrive within the next month, with Italy due to open their UEFA Nations League group stage campaign in September. The Azzurri have been drawn in a difficult Group A with France, Belgium and Turkey.
“The best thing would be to announce the new coach this week, but even more, to wait for the person we really want. So there’s urgency, but not so much inside us,” said Maldini.
Guardiola is currently out of work after departing Manchester City at the end of last season. His exit concluded a ten-year reign in England, where he won six Premier League titles and the Champions League. Although he has publicly spoken of his desire to take a sabbatical from coaching and spend time with his family, Maldini and special advisor Leonardo recently spent three days in Barcelona discussing the vacancy with the 55-year-old.
The FIGC’s offer was reportedly an annual salary of 10 million Euros, while Guardiola’s expectation is double that — 20 million annually, the same as his previous salary at City. But, given the Catalan’s status, Malagò indicated the federation’s willingness to make financial exceptions to bridge the impasse.
Ancelotti remains under contract with the Brazilian national team, having signed an extension in May through to the 2030 World Cup. Despite his ongoing commitment to Brazil, Italy approached the five-time Champions League-winning coach to gauge his interest in leading his home country. But while his future had faced scrutiny after Brazil suffered a 2-1 Round of 16 elimination to Norway, Ancelotti remains committed to honouring his contract with the nine-time South American champions.
The FIGC is in a state of crisis, and views this managerial appointment as the vital first step in restructuring a youth and talent infrastructure that executives acknowledge has collapsed. If deals for Guardiola or Ancelotti fail, domestic options include former managers Antonio Conte, who recently left his position at Napoli SSC, and Roberto Mancini, currently head coach of Al Sadd in the Saudi Pro League, who guided Italy to the European Championship in 2021. Former Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo, who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy, has also been linked to the vacancy.
