Pep Guardiola is in talks about becoming the next Italy coach, with the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) revealing that financial “exceptions” are being made to try to secure a deal.
Guardiola brought the curtain down on a 10-year spell as Manchester City manager in May.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has never managed a national team, though he reportedly had an agreement with England in 2024 before changing his mind.
Italy are looking for a new coach after missing out on a third successive World Cup, the Azzurri failing to qualify for the 2026 tournament after losing a play-off final to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties.
Another former City manager, Roberto Mancini, is also in the running. Mancini led Italy to glory in Euro 2020. Meanwhile, former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo is under consideration despite his coaching career, which has seen spells with Juventus and Sampdoria, featuring little success to this point.
Guardiola is the standout name, but FIGC president Giovanni Malago stressed that him succeeding Gennaro Gattuso is no guarantee.
Malago told Cronache di Spogliatoio: “It’s not a given that this will come to fruition, but I believe it was right and important to open a dialogue and keep it alive.
“This [talks with Guardiola] is by no means a lack of respect towards other candidates, with whom discussions have already begun, and adding another name would in no way detract from the process.
“There are also financial and budgetary considerations. In the short to medium term, to say that we’ll have to tighten our belts is an understatement. However, some exceptions have been made, which may relate to the name that is so dominant at the moment: Pep Guardiola.”
Asked if Guardiola, Mancini and Pirlo are the only candidates for the vacant role, Malago replied: “Absolutely not. We think about a certain profile and certainly these names fall into that category.”
Having watched Spain win the 2026 World Cup from afar, Italy will return to action in September when they face Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. The Azzurri have been drawn in a difficult group that also features France and Turkey.
