Pep Guardiola has told the Italian federation he will not become the Azzurri's next head coach, ONE reports, closing off what would have been the most eye-catching appointment in national-team football and leaving Paolo Maldini to restart his search.
According to the report, the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio offered Guardiola around €10 million a year to take charge, but the Catalan coach's camp was seeking closer to €20 million — a gap Italian outlets including Tuttosport and Il Fatto Quotidiano say ultimately could not be bridged.
Maldini, now Italy's technical director, and his advisor Leonardo had travelled to meet Guardiola in Barcelona and pitched him on far more than a coaching post: a long-term project built around him to rebuild Italian football through to the 2030 World Cup.
Guardiola thanked the pair for their confidence but said he did not feel ready to commit, according to the Italian reporting — a version consistent with ONE's account that talks concluded without an agreement after last week's meeting.
It would have been the first national-team job of Guardiola's coaching career, one built entirely in club football with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and, most recently, a decade at Manchester City that ended this year. Several Italian outlets note he had planned to step away from the touchline for a period before considering any return.
The vacancy exists because Gennaro Gattuso resigned as Italy coach after the Azzurri were eliminated on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup play-off, meaning Italy will miss the 2026 tournament. Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini stepped in as caretaker for June's friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece.
With Guardiola out of the picture, ONE cites journalist Gianluca Di Marzio in naming Andrea Pirlo, currently in charge of Italy's youth setup, as the leading alternative, alongside former Napoli coach Antonio Conte and Euro 2020-winning coach Roberto Mancini.
Italian reports suggest Pirlo has emerged as the clear favourite to be handed the rebuilding job, with Maldini and Leonardo now expected to move quickly given Italy's next competitive fixtures are approaching.
No timetable for a final decision has been confirmed, but the federation is under pressure to appoint a permanent coach well before Italy's next qualifying campaign begins.
