Italy opens talks with Pep Guardiola: Maldini and Leonardo present national team rebuilding plan in Barcelona
The Italian Football Federation has launched a concrete attempt to appoint Pep Guardiola as head coach of the national team. According to exclusive information from Sky Sport Italia, new technical director Paolo Maldini and his adviser Leonardo spent the past weekend in Barcelona, where they discussed with the former Manchester City coach the possibility of taking charge of a team experiencing one of the deepest crises in its history. According to The Times and Italian media, the talks lasted several days, and Guardiola was presented with a broader project to rebuild the federation's technical system. No agreement has yet been reached, nor has the FIGC officially announced that the Spanish specialist has accepted the offer. Nevertheless, the fact that Maldini and Leonardo personally travelled to the meeting shows that his name is no longer merely a media speculation.
The search for a new head coach followed the departure of Gennaro Gattuso, who terminated his contract with the FIGC by mutual consent at the beginning of April. The Italian federation then officially confirmed that the two parties had separated following the failure in qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the final of the European play-offs in Zenica, leaving the four-time world champions without a place at a third consecutive World Cup. FIFA described the outcome as a historic precedent because it was the first time that a former world champion had missed three consecutive final tournaments. Precisely because of the scale of that failure, the choice of Gattuso's successor in Italy is not being viewed as an ordinary coaching change, but as the central decision of a new era for the country's football.
Maldini and Leonardo given a mandate until 2030
The arrival of Maldini and Leonardo at the FIGC preceded the intensification of talks with Guardiola. On 12 July, the federation officially announced that Maldini had been appointed technical director and president of Club Italia, the organisational structure coordinating the work of the national teams, while Leonardo was given the role of adviser. FIGC president Giovanni Malagò presented their appointment as a four-year project intended to cover the next European Championship and the construction of a team capable of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup. Maldini's responsibility does not concern only the senior team, but also the technical direction of the younger national-team categories, the development of coaching standards and the connection of different levels of Italian football.
Such a framework explains why, according to the available information, Guardiola was presented with a project considerably broader than managing several national-team gatherings each year. Italy does not need only a coach who will choose a formation and a squad list, but a person whose methods could influence the way players are developed, work with the ball, the organisation of possession and the alignment of the senior national team with the younger selections. During his career, Guardiola has built a reputation as a coach who changes the structure of clubs, not only their results. At Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, he insisted on technical dominance, positional play, high pressing and control of space, which means that his appointment would represent a clear programmatic shift for a national team traditionally associated with tactical discipline, defensive organisation and adaptation to the opponent.
Maldini and Leonardo have long-standing professional and personal ties with Guardiola. Guardiola played in Italy for Brescia and Roma, is well acquainted with Italian football culture and, as Sky Sport recalled, publicly expressed great respect for Maldini as early as 2009, after winning the Champions League with Barcelona. For the new heads of the technical sector, such a relationship could be important in attempting to persuade a coach whose financial and professional status exceeds the usual framework of international management. At the same time, good communication does not mean that the main obstacles have been removed: Guardiola has only just completed a decade in Manchester, has publicly announced a break and the cost of appointing him would be noticeably higher than that of most other options.
Guardiola spoke about taking a break only days before the meeting
The greatest uncertainty is not Guardiola's professional motivation, but his willingness to return to work immediately. In an interview published on 17 July, only a few days before the news of the talks in Barcelona, he said that he did not currently miss coaching and wanted to discover life outside the daily rhythm of professional football. Sky Sport reported his statement that he might return to coaching one day, but that he now felt the need for a break. At first glance, such words reduce the chances of a quick agreement with the FIGC, particularly because Italy wants to appoint a head coach within a short period and begin a new cycle without further delay.
On the other hand, working with a national team differs from working at a club. The number of matches and training sessions is considerably smaller, there is no daily club schedule or continuous transfer market, and the main work takes place through shorter gatherings and preparation for major tournaments. For that reason, Italian media have assessed that a national-team project could offer Guardiola a different kind of challenge, sufficiently removed from the exhausting rhythm he cited as the reason for his break. This, however, is only one possible interpretation. According to all information available on 20 July 2026, the Spanish coach has not publicly changed his position or confirmed that he wants to take charge of Italy immediately.
Manchester City officially announced in May that Guardiola would leave after ten years in charge. The club states that during that period he won 20 major trophies and became the most successful manager in its history. His tenure included six English league titles, the first Champions League trophy in City's history and the treble in the 2022/23 season, as well as prolonged tactical dominance in the Premier League. Such a résumé explains why his appointment would immediately give the rebuilding project international credibility.
A third consecutive missed World Cup changed the scale of the crisis
The Italian national team has not appeared at a World Cup since 2014. Following elimination by Sweden in the play-offs for the 2018 tournament and defeat by North Macedonia in the play-offs for the 2022 championship, the latest failure against Bosnia and Herzegovina further deepened the problem. Italy took the lead in Zenica but failed to take its chances to score a second goal, while the home team equalised late in the match. After extra time, the decision came in the penalty shootout, in which Bosnia and Herzegovina secured its second appearance at a World Cup.
After the match, the FIGC published Gattuso's statement that the defeat hurt deeply, but also that he was proud of his players' approach. Several days later, his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Gattuso's departure did not resolve the deeper causes of the crisis: a lack of continuity, frequent changes in technical direction and difficulties in transferring the success of the younger selections to senior level. Between those qualifying failures, Italy won the European Championship in 2021, but that title did not halt the decline in World Cup qualifying.
The new head coach therefore takes on a dual task. He must quickly stabilise the senior national team and restore its competitive reliability, while at the same time working with Maldini and Leonardo on an identity that will not depend on a single short results cycle. In that respect, Guardiola would be the most ambitious choice, but his system requires time, repetition and the precise adoption of automatisms. International football gives a coach far fewer working days than club football, so one of the key questions would be how much his methods can be adapted to short gatherings and players from different clubs.
Finances and authority may be as important as the sporting plan
According to The Times and other media following the talks, Guardiola's salary would be significantly higher than the amount required to appoint the other candidates. The FIGC must therefore assess whether it can secure a financial structure that would not burden the rest of the project, particularly investments in youth categories, infrastructure, coach education and scouting. A contract of this profile could involve commercial partners and additional sources of revenue, but none of that has yet been officially confirmed. The Italian federation has announced neither the duration of a potential contract, Guardiola's conditions, nor a precise description of the authority he would have.
Equally important is the question of the relationship between the head coach and the new technical structure. As president of Club Italia and technical director, Maldini has been given a mandate to determine the direction, approve programmes and oversee the entire national-team system. Guardiola, meanwhile, worked at clubs in environments where he had a strong influence on sporting processes, the composition of the coaching staff and the profile of the players. Any agreement would therefore have to clearly define responsibilities and establish a shared vision.
In recent days, Malagò has repeatedly said that he wants to make the decision in agreement with Maldini and Leonardo and that only a few more days of patience are required. In a statement to Sky Sport, he did not confirm that the choice had been narrowed to Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo, thereby leaving room for other names. That formulation further intensified speculation following the meeting in Barcelona, but it does not represent confirmation that Guardiola is the first choice or that negotiations are in their final stage. Until the FIGC announces an official decision, the entire process remains open.
Conte, Mancini and Pirlo remain realistic alternatives
Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo continue to be mentioned as candidates. Conte already managed Italy from 2014 to 2016 and led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championship, where it was eliminated by Germany on penalties. His advantage would be immediate competitive organisation, experience of working in Serie A and familiarity with the pressure surrounding the national team. According to reports from 20 July, however, Conte said that nobody from the federation had contacted him, so his status cannot be regarded as equal to Guardiola's, with whom a meeting has reportedly already taken place.
Mancini has the strongest international result among the Italian candidates because he led Italy to the European title in 2021. His first tenure ended in 2023, after which he took charge of Saudi Arabia and later also worked in club football. A return would bring experience and knowledge of a large part of the system, but would also raise the issue of how the final phase of his previous period should be viewed, during which Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. For that reason, Mancini is both a logical and politically sensitive option.
Pirlo represents a candidate of a different profile. As a player, he was one of the symbols of the generation that won the 2006 World Cup, and his footballing idea is naturally associated with technical quality, control of tempo and the construction of attacks. He gained coaching experience at Juventus, Fatih Karagümrük, Sampdoria and in the United Arab Emirates. His appointment would be financially simpler and aligned with the rebuilding project over the long term, but it would carry greater risk because of his limited experience at the highest level compared with Guardiola, Conte and Mancini.
Guardiola's arrival would also be a symbolic break with tradition
Italy has almost always entrusted its national team to domestic coaches, so appointing a Spaniard would carry strong symbolic weight. It would not merely involve bringing in a major name, but a decision to open the national game to an external methodology at a moment when its own model no longer guarantees qualification even for an expanded 48-team World Cup. Such a move would provoke debate about the identity of the national team: should Italy retain its recognisable pragmatism or build a system based on possession, initiative and technical dominance?
Guardiola also knows Serie A from a player's perspective. In the early 2000s, he played for Brescia and Roma, and he has often highlighted his experience of Italian football as an important part of his own development. His relationship with the Italian tactical school is not simply one of opposition; he adopted many ideas concerning space, positioning and defensive organisation and adapted them to his own model. For that reason, his potential work with Italy could be presented as a combination of two traditions, rather than their mutual exclusion.
However, precisely because of the scale of expectations, the FIGC must avoid allowing the coach's name to become a substitute for structural change. Not even Guardiola can single-handedly increase the number of minutes young Italian players receive at their clubs, solve the development of strikers or ensure continuity between the youth selections and the senior team. His contribution could be powerful only if it fits into the changes led by Maldini and Leonardo. Otherwise, even the biggest coaching name would become another short-term response to a long-term problem.
A decision is expected quickly, but an agreement is not close to official confirmation
As of 20 July 2026, several elements can be confirmed: Italy is without a head coach following Gattuso's departure, Maldini and Leonardo officially lead the new technical project, and Sky Sport reported that they spoke with Guardiola in Barcelona. It has not, however, been confirmed that Guardiola has accepted the job, that financial terms have been agreed or that the FIGC has abandoned the other candidates. His recent statements about needing a break remain a serious obstacle and a reason for caution when interpreting the news.
For the Italian federation, the meeting nevertheless has value even if it does not end with a signature. It demonstrates the ambition of the new leadership and a willingness to consider a radically different path after missing three World Cups. The next move will depend on whether Guardiola is prepared to shorten his planned break and whether the FIGC can align his demands with the federation's financial and organisational capabilities. If the answer is negative, Maldini, Leonardo and Malagò will have to move quickly to one of the more realistic options. If the talks progress, Italy could open the most unexpected and ambitious chapter in the modern history of its national team.
Sources:
- Sky Sport Italia – report on the meeting between Maldini, Leonardo and Guardiola in Barcelona and the current selection of the new head coach (link)
- Italian Football Federation (FIGC) – official announcement of Paolo Maldini's appointment as technical director and Leonardo's appointment as adviser (link)
- Italian Football Federation (FIGC) – official confirmation of Gennaro Gattuso's departure as head coach by mutual consent (link)
- FIFA – overview of Italy's defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina and its third consecutive missed World Cup (link)
- Manchester City – official announcement of Guardiola's departure after ten years and 20 major trophies won (link)
- Sky Sport Italia – Guardiola's statements about taking a break from coaching and his current desire not to return to the dugout (link)
- The Times – report on the multi-day talks, other candidates and the financial obstacles to a potential agreement (link)
- La Gazzetta dello Sport – overview of the candidates for the Italian bench and Andrea Pirlo's current status (link)
- AS – report on Conte's statement that the federation had not contacted him and on the differences in the selection of candidates (link)