Italy Offers Pep Guardiola Mega Deal to Lead National Team After Ancelotti Rejection

Italy stepped up their efforts for Guardiola right after Carlo Ancelotti, who coaches the Brazil team, turned down their offer. Paolo Maldini, Italy's legendary former captain and current Technical Director, confirmed this at a press conference.

The Italian Football Federation is trying to rope in former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as the new coach for its national team. This move comes after the team faced a huge shock by failing to qualify for the World Cup.

They stepped up their efforts for Guardiola right after Carlo Ancelotti, who coaches the Brazil team, turned down their offer. Paolo Maldini, Italy's legendary former captain and current Technical Director, confirmed this at a press conference.

"It's true we spoke with Carlo Ancelotti before we approached Pep. Our first goal was to check the availability of the world's best coaches," Maldini said. Guardiola, who is 55, is currently on a break from football after a 10-year career with Manchester City. Maldini and former player Leonardo had a three-day meeting with Guardiola in Barcelona.

The Italian Federation offered him 10 million euros a year. But Guardiola is reportedly asking for the 20 million euros he was earning at City. However, Italian football officials have hinted they are willing to be flexible on the money for a high-profile coach like him. Meanwhile, Ancelotti wasn't ready to leave the Brazil national team as he has a contract with them until 2030.

This whole search for a new coach started after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. Following this, head coach Gennaro Gattuso and the Federation's president both resigned. For now, Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini is temporarily managing the senior team.

Italy is in a tough group for the UEFA Nations League, which starts in September, where they will face France, Belgium, and Turkey. That's why the federation is in a hurry to appoint a new coach and rebuild the team. If the talks with Guardiola also fail, Italy might consider Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini, and Andrea Pirlo for the top job.