Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would happily listen to an offer to become the new Italy coach, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
When will Italy hire a new head coach?
The Azzurri will appoint a new head coach after June 22, when the new FIGC President will be elected.
Gazzetta reports that Guardiola’s future at Manchester City is far from certain despite having a contract expiring in June 2027.
The pink paper indicates that if Pep were to leave Manchester City, he would not accept an offer from another club, as he would prefer to take a break to recover from the stress of many years at the Etihad Stadium.
This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the Spaniard would take a sabbatical, as he already did in 2012; and a national team job would be an ideal compromise.
Guardiola has a solid bond with Italy
Gazzetta reports that Guardiola, a former Brescia and Roma midfielder, has built a strong bond with Italy and would be open to considering an offer to become the Azzurri coach.
Gazzetta recalls that back in 2018, Guardiola refused to rule out coming to Italy as a coach one day, even if, a few years later, he admitted: “Every nice thing happening in Italy makes me happy, but I think I’ll rather go to Italy on holiday than to coach.”
Italy legend Bonucci, a former assistant of Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, said Guardiola should be the first option for the new FIGC President: “I think it’s very hard, but dreaming doesn’t cost anything.”
