Pep Guardiola has held talks over becoming the new head coach of Italy, according to reports in the country.
Sky Italia claim Italian FA (FIGC) technical director Paolo Maldini and advisor Leonardo spent the weekend in Barcelona trying to convince Guardiola to make a swift return to work after leaving Manchester City.
The Catalan left the Etihad at the end of last season after a trophy-laden 10 years in which he led the club to six Premier League crowns and the 2023 Champions League.
He vowed to take time off but is already pondering a return with the FIGC also considering Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte and Andrea Pirlo as they look to appoint a successor to Gennaro Gattuso, who departed following Italy’s failure to reach this year’s World Cup.
The new president of the FIGC, Giovanni Malago hopes there will be an appointment in days.
He told told Sky Sport 24: “It took me two weeks to bring Paolo Maldini and Leonardo on board, because being serious people and with an interest in the project from the beginning, they wanted to go into the details of what I had in mind.
“With Maldini and Leonardo there is no confusion. On the contrary, we are talking about the details. A few more days of patience and you will know everything. Is the list limited to Mancini and Pirlo? There may be other possible names.”
What has Guardiola said about his future?
Speaking last week, Guardiola insisted he was in no hurry to return to the dug out.
He told OKX: “People say ‘Ah – in three months you will be back, in six months you will be back’.
“Maybe, but I have to feel it and experience that I really miss it and need it. Right now, for these three weeks [or] a month, I [have woken] up in the morning and they said ‘oh, Pep – do you miss it?’
“I said ‘No. Okay, good. Let’s go’. That is what I feel right now. Maybe one day I will wake up and say ‘Okay, I want to be back – I want to prove again that I’m a good coach. I want to deal with the players and handle them, my sporting director and hierarchy.’ Right now, I don’t feel that.
“A lot of players – the young players, old players – they said ‘I want to leave. I’m here, in cold Manchester, I’m not playing. I want to leave.’
“And you have to replace those guys. But the big, big task is [about] the organisation, sporting director, manager, CEOs, the hierarchy, the recruitment of the right players that you need.
“Everyone makes mistakes with that. [It requires] making [less costly] mistakes [and making] as few as possible. That is the key point.”
A lack of “energy” and back problems contributed to Guardiola’s decision to “care for myself a little bit” by taking a break, he explained.
“[I want to] see much more of my kids,” he added. “My father is 95 and still here; my sisters, my brothers.
“[Going more] slowly is [partly] the target. And after [that], we will see. If I miss [football and] someone wants me to be back, [I’ll consider my options].
“Otherwise, I will continue. I’m not young anymore. I’m not 35, 36, 37, 40, 41. I always thought about why, during all my life, [everything is] always related to football.
“[Is all] I can do playing or managing football? Why don’t I try to discover a life or be happy or be complete as a human being doing other things, not just related to football?
“It’s a question mark. I don’t know, because since I was a little boy in my little town, [everything was] football, football, football until [I left City].
“Now I try to maybe enjoy doing other things that I’ve never done [and] now want to do.”
