Manchester City are on the verge of appointing Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor, with the former Chelsea manager set to take charge on a three-year deal after the club reached a compensation agreement with their Premier League rivals worth well in excess of £10m.
The 46-year-old Italian left Chelsea in January and was still contracted to the club until 2029, prompting Chelsea to explore legal options over compensation. City, who have declined to comment, quickly identified Maresca as the only candidate for the unenviable task of replacing Guardiola, who announced a month ago that he would leave after a decade in charge.
“Man City near Maresca appointment as Gvardiol signs until 2031.”
The impending appointment comes as City also secured the long-term future of defender Josko Gvardiol, who has agreed a new contract until the summer of 2031. The 24-year-old’s previous deal was set to expire in 2028, but he has ended speculation linking him with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich by committing to the Etihad Stadium.
Gvardiol, City’s player of the season in 2024-25, is currently preparing for the World Cup with Croatia. His campaign last season was disrupted by a broken leg sustained in January, limiting him to 25 appearances in all competitions. He returned to Premier League action in May, playing 58 minutes against Crystal Palace and the final 12 minutes against Aston Villa.
While the club has continued transfer business in the background — having two bids rejected for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and expected to make another offer — the delayed announcement of Maresca has left players considering their futures in limbo. As Freddie Pye of City Xtra told BBC Sport: “Given the absence of any pre-season training until next month, perhaps Maresca and City have not lost out on anything via a delayed announcement. The futures of players may be a different story, as some may view the departure of Guardiola as the end of a career segment.”
Players not involved in World Cup action are expected to return for pre-season in mid-July, but without Maresca in place, they have yet to meet the new boss for talks. The new manager will have the blessing to reshape a squad that is losing departing captain Bernardo Silva.