Manchester City have held positive discussions with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca over succeeding Pep Guardiola, as the club's hierarchy quietly begin planning for life without the manager who has delivered 19 major trophies in a decade at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola is into the final months of his current contract, which runs until the summer of 2027, but there is growing expectation within the game that he will choose to walk away at the end of this season rather than see out his deal. City's sporting director Hugo Viana has been tasked with identifying a successor, and Maresca — who resigned from Chelsea earlier this year — has emerged as the frontrunner according to The Guardian.
The Maresca complication
Maresca's availability has opened the door for City to move quickly, though the situation carries an element of complexity. The Italian had contact with figures connected to City prior to leaving Stamford Bridge, which could raise questions about the circumstances of his Chelsea departure. City's hierarchy are understood to be monitoring that situation carefully before formalising any approach.
Maresca spent time as Guardiola's assistant at City earlier in his coaching career, giving him deep familiarity with the club's methods, culture and playing philosophy — a significant advantage over external candidates.
Guardiola has said publicly that he has "never broken a contract" and City are clear that they will give him complete freedom to decide his own future. The Spaniard has won 19 trophies with City since 2016 and has been one of the dominant forces in world football across that period. A decision on his future is not expected until the end of the season, by which point the outcome of the title race and the FA Cup will have been determined.
