Italy are prepared to go all out to appoint Pep Guardiola as their manager, the country’s football federation have confirmed.
Guardiola is currently out of work after leaving Man City at the end of last season following 10 incredible years in England where he won 20 trophies.
Italy, meanwhile, are currently experiencing some of their worst times, with the nation having not qualified for three successive World Cups, while they haven’t made it out of the group stages since winning the tournament for a fourth time in 2006.
Previous manager Gennaro Gattuso resigned from the role in April after the Azzurri lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the World Cup play-offs. The head of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Gabriele Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon – who was the national team’s Delegation Head – also stepped away following that match.
Italy Under 21 boss Silvio Baldini was in temporary charge for the June international break, but with a fresh cycle starting after the World Cup, they are keen to appoint a new boss.
Reports in Italy earlier this week shared news of talks between the FIGC and Guardiola over the role, and Giovanni Malago, who replaced Gravina, outlined their interest in the Spaniard and determination to get a deal done.
Italy are pushing hard to appoint Pep Guardiola as their new national team manager
Italy have failed to qualify for the last three World Cups and currently do not have a manager
‘[Financial] exceptions have been made, exceptions that for example may concern the name that is so overbearing in these hours: Pep Guardiola,’ Malago told Gazzetta dello Sport.
‘Exceptions for obvious reasons that I am not here to explain, but it is not certain that this thing will go through.’
Former Italy boss Roberto Mancini and Azzurri legend Andrea Pirlo are also in the running for the role, although Malago – who said earlier this week that a new coach was ‘just a few more days’ away – insisted other contenders remain.
‘Absolutely not (are Guardiola, Mancini and Pirlo the only contenders),’ he added. ‘We think about a certain profile and certainly these names fall into that category.’
New Italy technical director Paolo Maldini and his adviser Leonardo, who previously served as PSG’s sporting director, met Guardiola in Barcelona last weekend to try and accelerate any potential deal.
The pair are understood to have a superb relationship with the former Man City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss, who spent two seasons in Italy during his playing days with Brescia and Roma, and can speak the language.
New Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malago said ‘(financial)’ exceptions have been made’
Despite the speculation, Guardiola seemed to distance himself from a return to the dugout last Friday when speaking to Fox Sports.
He said: ‘From a mental standpoint, I don’t miss anything at all. I started managing at 37 and my entire life has been bound to football.
‘Now, I want to try and discover life, to be happy doing other things that have nothing to do with football.’
If Guardiola did end up with the role, he would become just the third foreigner to take charge of Italy.
Hungarian Lajos Czeizler was a member of the technical committee that ran the team in the 1950s, while Helenio Herrera, the legendary Argentine, was joint-manager alongside Italian Ferruccio Valcareggi in the 1960s.
