Manchester City are on the verge of a financial settlement with Chelsea worth more than £10m that will clear the way for them to appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager. The protracted negotiation stems from Chelsea’s belief that the Italian breached his contract by speaking to City while still employed at Stamford Bridge last season.
Chelsea have evidence that Maresca — who resigned on New Year’s Day after a chaotic spell — informed the club he had been approached by both City and Napoli last winter, a claim never disputed. The west London club insist they deserve compensation for losing a manager whose departure destabilised a season that ended with them finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing out on European qualification.
“Manchester City near £10m settlement with Chelsea to appoint Enzo Maresca as manager after alleged contract breach.”
Despite possessing sufficient evidence to report City to the Premier League for an illegal approach, Chelsea sources say they have no plans to do so and continue to negotiate amicably. A separate legal claim against Maresca is likely to be dropped if the clubs reach agreement. The club previously paid Leicester £8m to secure Maresca’s release two years ago, and in January made another multi-million pound payment to sister club Strasbourg to bring in Liam Rosenior as his replacement.
Maresca is eager to start work at City as soon as possible, though the club do not return for pre-season training until the middle of next month, with 19 players away at the World Cup. He will inherit a squad that includes Matheus Nunes, who Pep Guardiola once said was not “clever enough” to play in midfield after City spent £53m to sign him from Wolves. Nunes transformed into one of the Premier League’s best right-backs this season, earning a place in the league’s team of the year for his athleticism and ball carrying.
The finer details of the settlement are still being discussed, but a figure of over £10m to Chelsea is thought to be the likely outcome. City will hope to finalise the deal before Maresca takes charge of a side that also features Arsenal’s David Raya, who won his third straight Golden Glove with 19 clean sheets — one shy of the record held by Petr Cech and Joe Hart. The Spaniard’s defining interventions in high-pressure moments, including a smothering save from Mateus Fernandes in the final fortnight, were the difference in Arsenal’s title race.