Italy is reportedly prepared to make significant financial commitments to secure Pep Guardiola as their next national team manager, according to Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago.
Guardiola, who recently concluded a decade-long tenure at Manchester City where he won 20 trophies, is currently out of work. Italy, meanwhile, faces a challenging period, having failed to qualify for the last three World Cups and not advancing past the group stage since their 2006 victory.
The managerial position became vacant after Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April following a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in World Cup playoffs. The departures of FIGC head Gabriele Gravina and national team delegation head Gianluigi Buffon also followed that match. Silvio Baldini, the Under-21 manager, held the role on an interim basis for the June international break.
Malago confirmed that the FIGC is actively pursuing Guardiola, stating that "[Financial] exceptions have been made" for a candidate of his caliber. He acknowledged that while Guardiola is a prominent figure in discussions, the appointment is not yet certain. He also indicated that other contenders, including former Italy manager Roberto Mancini and Azzurri legend Andrea Pirlo, are still in consideration, emphasizing that the federation is targeting a specific profile of coach.
Paolo Maldini, the new Italian technical director, and his advisor Leonardo reportedly met with Guardiola in Barcelona last weekend to advance discussions. Both Maldini and Leonardo are understood to have a strong rapport with Guardiola, who previously played in Italy for Brescia and Roma and is fluent in the language.
Despite the strong interest from Italy, Guardiola has recently expressed a desire for a break from football management. Speaking to Fox Sports, he stated, "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 were to accept the position, he would join a short list of foreign managers to have coached the Italian national team, following Lajos Czeizler in the 1950s and the Argentine duo of Helenio Herrera and Ferruccio Valcareggi in the 1960s.