"It's not certain yet, but I think it was the right thing to do and important to open the dialogue and keep it going." That's Giovanni Malagò, Italy's new federation president, confirming what many suspected — the Azzurri are genuinely pursuing Pep Guardiola as their next national team coach.
This isn't a rumour being batted around on Twitter. A delegation led by former AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini — now installed as technical director — spent several days in Barcelona making the pitch in person. That's a serious approach, not a speculative phone call.
Why Guardiola might actually say yes
Guardiola just ended a ten-year run at Manchester City and had planned to take a break. But the timing here is genuinely interesting. The 2028 European Championship is in the United Kingdom — a country he spent a decade in. The 2030 World Cup is partly in Spain, his homeland. For a coach who's won everything at club level, a tournament cycle with this kind of personal geography might be a harder offer to wave away than it looks.
Italy's case for hiring him writes itself on the football side. Three consecutive World Cup qualification failures. Gattuso, Buffon, and former president Gravina all gone after the latest embarrassment. The Azzurri need a reset so significant that splashing on the most decorated club coach of his generation starts to look less like extravagance and more like triage.
The money problem is real
Malagò didn't sugarcoat the financial side: "To say that we'll have to tighten our belts in the short to medium term is an understatement." Guardiola's salary expectations are not built for a national federation's budget. Italy would be making a deliberate, eyes-open exception — and Malagò is openly saying so.
Whether that exception gets made depends on what Guardiola actually wants. Right now, the outcome, in Malagò's own words, is still up in the air.
