Italy's FA confirms Guardiola talks, flags salary exception

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has held talks with Pep Guardiola about becoming the national team's head coach. FIGC president Giovanni Malago confirmed the discussions, noting that financial "exceptions" could be made to secure the former Manchester City manager.

Such a concession is highly unusual for the federation, which has historically adhered to strict public and corporate budget constraints. Willingness to bend these rules underscores the severe financial and reputational toll of the national team's recent failures.

Italy has been without a manager since Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April following the country's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Repeatedly missing the sport's premier tournament alienates broadcast partners and damages the commercial viability of the national brand.

Malago explicitly linked the potential wage flexibility to Guardiola's commercial profile. "[Financial] Exceptions have been made, exceptions that for example may concern the name that is so overbearing in these hours: Pep Guardiola," Malago told Cronache di spogliatoio. "Exceptions for obvious reasons that I am not here to explain, but it is not certain that this thing will go through."

Guardiola left Manchester City in May after a decade that delivered six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League. He departed citing exhaustion, stating: "I am so tired. Seriously, I am so tired." He added that the "luggage of memories" from his 10 years in England surpassed his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Despite his recent departure, the 55-year-old speaks fluent Italian and spent two seasons playing in Serie A with Brescia and Roma. His potential appointment would break a long-standing historical norm, as Italy's men's national team has only ever been managed by non-Italians on two occasions. Those exceptions occurred decades ago, involving Hungarian Lajos Czeizler in the 1950s and Argentine Helenio Herrera, who served as joint manager alongside Italian Ferruccio Valcareggi in the following decade.

The federation is keeping its options open. Roberto Mancini, who guided Italy to Euro 2020 glory, and Andrea Pirlo, currently managing Dubai United, are also being considered. Asked if these three were the only candidates, Malago responded: "Absolutely not. We think about a certain profile and certainly these names fall into that category."

Publicly courting a foreign coach of Guardiola's magnitude signals a pragmatic pivot. The federation appears ready to prioritize immediate commercial and sporting recovery over its tradition of domestic appointments.