Manchester City is very close to making Enzo Maresca official as Pep Guardiola's successor, reports Yahoo Sports. According to the same publication, the English club is in talks with Chelsea to agree on a compensation package for the Italian coach's departure from Stamford Bridge in January, with the amount exceeding 10 million pounds.
Chelsea understands that Maresca broke a contract valid until 2029 when he left the club. Still in the autumn, the coach would have informed the Blues that he had maintained contacts with a view to returning to City if Guardiola were to leave his position.
After Maresca's departure, Chelsea's season went into a sharp decline and the team finished in 10th place. The club's hierarchy would have pointed out responsibilities to the former coach, although results have worsened under his successor, Liam Rosenior, says the same source.
Pep Guardiola announced his departure in May, after a decade in charge of City, ending last season by winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
Maresca has already worked on Guardiola's coaching staff twice, including as an assistant in 2022/23, the year of the historic treble that included the Champions League. He later won the Championship with Leicester and, once at Chelsea, he won the Conference League and the Club World Cup, according to Yahoo Sports.
Meanwhile, City will have started its reconstruction plan for the post-Guardiola era: the same publication reports on a £106 million proposal for Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), the interest in Sandro Tonali (Newcastle) and the contract renewal of defender Josko Gvardiol.
It remains, therefore, to seal the compensation agreement with Chelsea so that Enzo Maresca can take over as coach at the Etihad Stadium, concludes Yahoo Sports.