Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Ryan Gray

Italian Football Federation holds talks with Pep Guardiola about becoming national team head coach: report

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, acknowledges the fans following the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford at Etihad Stadium on May 09, 2026 in Manchester, England.

Pep Guardiola has spoken to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) about becoming their next national team head coach.

Reports claim that Guardiola is seen as the man to turn around the Italians' fortunes, after they failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row.

Whether or not Guardiola wants the job remains to be seen, but the ex-Manchester City man is reportedly top of the list.

The Italian Football Federation is desperate to turn around the team's fortunes

Paolo Maldini has been named technical director of the Italian Football Federation

Sky Italy are claiming that a contingent, including the new Italian Football Federation's technical director Paolo Maldini and his assistant Leonardo have flown to Barcelona to meet with Guardiola.

Talks were held over a three day period, suggesting that Guardiola hasn't flat out rejected the approach.

Pep Guardiola left Manchester City this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

Maldini and Leonardo are part of a big shake up by the FIGC to bring success back to Italy, who have failed to qualify for a World Cup since 2014.

They have immediately identified Guardiola as the man who can get their country's football team back on track.

After winning the Euros in 2021, Italy have had a difficult five years, after they were knocked out of the 2024 Euros by Switzerland.

Guardiola isn't the only man on their list to replace former boss Gennaro Gattuso, however.

Reports claim that Roberto Mancini, the man who masterminded their 2021 success, is also an option.

Andrea Pirlo is on the list of options for the vacant Italy head coach position (Image credit: Getty Images)

Andrea Pirlo is another potential option for the role.

Guardiola would take some persuading to take the role, given that he told Sky Sports he had "no plans for coaching for a while" and said: "I need to step back."

However, he has previously shown an openness to taking on an international position, reportedly agreeing to take over as England boss after Gareth Southgate's departure.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.