The president of the Italian Football Federation has held talks with manager Guardiola regarding the vacant position, but his appointment has not yet been confirmed.
Published July 22, 2026
The president of the Italian Football Federation has confirmed that he has held discussions with legendary manager Josep Guardiola over the vacant Italian national team position, saying a financial “exception” would be made if the former Manchester City manager takes over.
Giovanni Malago revealed that the meeting had taken place in an interview with the website Cronache di Spogliatoio (Dressing Room Chronicle) published on Wednesday.
Asked if Guardiola could increase the salary budget for managers, he said: “Yes, that’s an exception, for obvious reasons.”
“I won’t go into details here, but I don’t know if this (appointment) will happen or not.
“But I still believe it was the right thing to do. It was important to open the dialogue and continue the dialogue,” he added.
Guardiola has first-hand knowledge of Italian football, having previously played for Brescia and AS Roma (2001-2003).
Italy’s soccer world, already in a slump, fell into a slump in March when the men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Italy has won the World Cup four times.
Guardiola, 55, left Manchester City at the end of last season after winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League during a glittering 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.
According to Italian media reports, former Italy players Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Mancini, who led the Azzurri to Euro 2020 victory, are also being considered as candidates to coach the national team, which will face Belgium in the Nations League on September 25.
