Manchester City and Chelsea have reportedly agreed compensation for Enzo Maresca, with the Italian moving ever closer to the Etihad
Manchester City and Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement on a financial settlement that would open the way for Enzo Maresca to take the bench of the current English giant. According to The Sun's report published on June 22, 2026, the compensation amount should be around 17 million pounds, which would remove one of the last obstacles in a process that has been going on for weeks. Manchester City had not, at the time of checking the club's official channels, announced the appointment of a new manager, so Maresca's arrival must still be described as expected, but not officially confirmed. The London club also has not publicly confirmed the details of the settlement, which means that the key financial elements are for now based on media reports rather than an official announcement. Despite that, several British sources have written in recent weeks that the negotiations are in their final phase and that the legal teams of the two clubs are dealing with the final wording of the agreement.
Compensation as the final obstacle in the post-Guardiola era
Maresca is described in those reports as the chosen successor to Pep Guardiola, whose departure from Manchester City was officially confirmed in May 2026. Manchester City then announced that Guardiola would leave the bench after a decade of work at the club, a period in which, according to the club's announcement, he won 20 major trophies and became the most successful manager in City's history. Such a context explains why the question of a successor is particularly sensitive: it is not only about a change of coach, but about the beginning of a new sporting phase after one of the most dominant managerial eras in modern European football. The Guardian previously stated that Chelsea was seeking compensation because it believed that the circumstances of Maresca's departure from Stamford Bridge and subsequent contacts with Manchester City had opened legal and contractual issues. Sky Sports also reported that the negotiations were in the hands of the lawyers of the two clubs, given that Maresca left Chelsea while, according to the available information, he still had a multi-year contract.
That is precisely why the amount being mentioned has a broader meaning than an ordinary fee for a coach. If the figure of around 17 million pounds is confirmed, it would be one of the larger compensations for a managerial transfer in English football, especially because it does not relate to a player, but to a specialist who at that moment formally no longer manages Chelsea. According to British reports, Chelsea insisted that the issue of contractual obligations and the manner in which Maresca's exit from the club came about be resolved. Manchester City, on the other hand, has a clear sporting interest in concluding the process as soon as possible, because preparations for the new season require a defined hierarchy, coaching staff and work plan. In such circumstances, the financial agreement serves not only as compensation, but also as a way to avoid a long-running dispute between two clubs with major business and sporting interests in the Premier League.
Maresca's path between the Etihad, Leicester and Stamford Bridge
Maresca knows Manchester City's system well, which is one of the main reasons why his name has continuously been linked with the job at the Etihad. Back in 2022, the club officially announced that the Italian specialist had returned to City as part of Guardiola's coaching staff, after previously leading the development squad. In that phase, he worked within the methodology that marked Guardiola's tenure: pronounced possession control, positional play, a high defensive line and tactical flexibility in building attacks. After that, he took over Leicester City and returned to the centre of English football as a coach trying to establish his profile outside Guardiola's shadow. Chelsea presented him in June 2024 as the head coach of the men's team and then announced that the contract would begin on July 1, 2024 and last five years, with an option to extend for one more season.
Such a contract later became an important part of the story about compensation and the legal status of Maresca's departure. On January 1, 2026, Chelsea officially announced that the club and Maresca had parted ways, with wording stating that both sides believed the change gave the team the best chance to get the season back on track. That announcement did not provide financial details of the separation, nor did it specify whether it was a mutual separation, dismissal or resignation in the narrower legal sense. ESPN reported in January that legal questions had emerged behind the neutral wording about what kind of payment Maresca was entitled to, if he was entitled to one at all. For that reason, the current negotiations between Chelsea and Manchester City are not only an operational matter of appointing a new coach, but a continuation of a broader contractual resolution that opened after Maresca's departure from London.
Chelsea has already opened a new chapter, but legal loose ends remain
A few days after Maresca's departure, Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior as the new head coach. On January 6, 2026, the club announced that Rosenior was arriving from Strasbourg and had signed a contract until 2032, thereby continuing the policy of long-term contracts for key sporting positions. The Premier League also highlighted in its announcement that Strasbourg and Chelsea are connected by the same ownership structure, BlueCo, which gave the move an additional dimension in discussions about modern multi-club ownership. The Guardian wrote at the time that Rosenior's move from Strasbourg to Chelsea had caused dissatisfaction among part of the supporters' structures in France, precisely because of questions of integrity and balance between clubs under the same ownership umbrella. Although that topic is not directly connected with Maresca's potential arrival at Manchester City, it shows how coaching appointments at the top of European football are increasingly intertwined with legal, ownership and financial frameworks.
For Chelsea, a settlement with Manchester City could close an uncomfortable chapter after a season marked by a change of coach and changes in sporting planning. According to reports in the British media, the London club did not want the case to turn into a prolonged public battle with City, but at the same time sought to protect its own contractual interests. That is an understandable approach for a club that brought Maresca in on a long-term contract and presented him as part of a broader project. If the compensation really is concluded at the level mentioned in the reports, Chelsea would receive financial compensation for a coach who has already left the bench, while Manchester City would get a clear path toward the official appointment. For both sides, such an outcome has practical value, even if it does not erase all questions about how the separation between Maresca and Chelsea came about.
Why Maresca is a logical choice for Manchester City
From a sporting perspective, Maresca fits the profile of a coach Manchester City can present as continuity, but not as a simple copy of Guardiola. His knowledge of the club's infrastructure, academy work and first-team demands reduces the risk at a moment when the club must move from the era of an extremely dominant manager into a new period. In official announcements about Guardiola's departure, Manchester City emphasized the club's stability and future competitiveness, and such a message is easier to maintain if the successor understands the internal culture and tactical language that has been developed for years at the Etihad. Maresca, according to earlier club announcements, had already been part of Guardiola's coaching staff and worked in City's development system, which gives him an advantage over coaches who would still have to get to know the club's structure. At the same time, his experience at Leicester and Chelsea gives him independent managerial credibility that is not limited only to the role of former assistant.
But appointing Guardiola's successor cannot be merely a technical move. Guardiola defined Manchester City's style of play, squad policy and team identity at a level that goes beyond the usual coaching role. The new manager will have to manage a dressing room accustomed to the highest standards, work with the board during the transfer window and at the same time show enough authority not to be viewed exclusively through comparison with his predecessor. Maresca, if appointed, would enter the job with the advantage of knowing the model, but also with the burden of expectations to maintain the club's competitive level. That is a balance that will probably mark the first months of his tenure, especially if the appointment is concluded immediately before the start of preparations.
The timing of the confirmation is important because of preparations and the transfer window
The question of the date of official confirmation is not a formality. The Premier League published the schedule for the 2026/27 season on June 19, 2026, and Manchester City are due to open their new league campaign with a home match against Bournemouth at the Etihad on August 23, 2026, according to the official competition schedule. That means the club has limited time to define the coaching staff, preparation programme, squad assessments and possible transfer priorities. Manchester City also highlighted summer obligations on its official website, including additional dates for the Asian pre-season tour, which further increases the need for a quick solution on the bench. In modern elite football, a manager enters not only the training process, but also the planning of minutes, player workloads, the return of internationals from major tournaments and market assessment.
That is why the compensation negotiations between City and Chelsea cannot be viewed separately from the sporting calendar. Every week of uncertainty reduces the space for the new coach to influence decisions that will shape the start of the season. If the agreement really was reached on June 22, as The Sun states, City could get enough time to present Maresca before the key part of preparations. If, however, it turns out that the remaining legal details are still open, the club could enter the summer with a formally unresolved issue of strategic importance. That would be particularly sensitive after Guardiola's departure, because it is the first major decision that will define Manchester City's new phase.
Caution over wording while there is no official announcement
Although several media sources portray Maresca's arrival as almost certain, the key difference remains between an agreement reported by journalists and official confirmation from the club. Manchester City had, at the time of checking, announced Guardiola's departure and a series of information about preparations, but not official news that Maresca had been appointed the new manager. Chelsea officially confirmed Maresca's departure at the beginning of the year and later Rosenior's appointment, but did not publicly announce the details of the alleged settlement with City. For that reason, the most precise thing to say is that the clubs, according to media reports, have reached or are very close to reaching an agreement on compensation, while Maresca's official appointment is still awaited. Such wording protects the difference between verified facts and information coming from unofficial sources.
If the expected outcome is confirmed, Maresca will return to the club where he has already worked and take over one of the most demanding benches in European football. His task will not only be to continue City's results line, but to convince the players, the board and the public that the new era has its own direction after Guardiola. Chelsea, at the same time, could end a dispute that had dragged on since the January separation and focus on the project with Rosenior. In that case, a settlement of around 17 million pounds would not only be the price of a managerial transfer, but the final point in one of the most interesting coaching outcomes in English football in the summer of 2026.
Sources:
- The Sun – report on the alleged agreement between Manchester City and Chelsea over compensation for Enzo Maresca of around 17 million pounds (link)
- The Guardian – report on the negotiations between Manchester City and Chelsea and the legal and financial context of Maresca's possible appointment (link)
- Sky Sports – report on compensation negotiations and the role of the legal teams of the two clubs (link)
- Manchester City FC – official announcement about Guardiola's departure after ten years on the club's bench (link)
- Manchester City FC – official 2022 announcement about Maresca's return to Guardiola's coaching staff (link)
- Chelsea FC – official announcement about the appointment of Enzo Maresca as Chelsea head coach in 2024 (link)
- Chelsea FC – official announcement about the separation of Chelsea and Enzo Maresca on January 1, 2026 (link)
- Chelsea FC – official announcement about the appointment of Liam Rosenior as Chelsea head coach until 2032 (link)
- Premier League – official schedule for the 2026/27 season and confirmation of Manchester City's match against Bournemouth on August 23, 2026 (link)