The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed this Wednesday that it is holding talks with Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, who emerges as one of the main candidates to become the new Azzurra coach.
The president of the FIGC, Giovanni Malagò, publicly acknowledged that there is a dialogue with the former Manchester City coach and admitted that the federation is willing to make an exceptional financial effort to try to finalize his hiring.
“Yes, and it is an exception for obvious reasons. It is not said that this will come to fruition; even so, I think it was fair and important to open a dialogue and keep it alive,” declared Malagò when asked about the possibility of increasing the budget allocated to the new coach.
The leader clarified that the approach with Guardiola does not represent a lack of respect towards the other candidates for the position and assured that the search for the new coach is not limited only to the names that have been most popular in recent days.
In addition to the Spanish strategist, the 2006 world champion with Italy, Andrea Pirlo, and Roberto Mancini, who already coached the Italian team and won the Euro 2021, are also among the candidates.
The Azzurra is going through one of the most complicated moments in its recent history. Despite being four-time world champion and two-time European monarch, Italy failed to qualify for the last three World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2026), a situation that has increased the pressure to start a new competitive project.
Guardiola, 55, recently ended a successful period of ten seasons at the helm of Manchester City, where he won 20 titles and consolidated one of the most dominant cycles in European football.
