The winds are blowing towards rejection in the Guardiola-Italy saga that has dominated football headlines for days. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pep Guardiola is considering rejecting the Italy national team's offer. There is reported to be a significant gap between the salary demanded by the veteran coach — who has promised time with his family, particularly his 95-year-old father — and what the federation can realistically offer.
This development is a natural continuation of an earlier story we covered. It had previously emerged that Paolo Maldini and his advisor Leonardo flew to Barcelona for direct talks with Guardiola; the process now appears to be approaching its conclusion. Leading Italian outlets report that Guardiola has taken time to evaluate the offer and could give his answer by tomorrow.
Guardiola's priorities have also become clear. As Repubblica highlights, the coach's stance that he wants to take a break following a demanding decade at Manchester City has not changed. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano echoed this view, saying it would take "a miracle" for Guardiola to change his mind, as the coach wants to fully disconnect before considering his next project.
On the federation's side, the door remains open. FIGC president Giovanni Malago had previously stated that "exceptions" could be made on salary, while also stressing this was no guarantee. Nevertheless, Guardiola is reported to also be fascinated by the idea of transforming not just the national team but Italian football culture more broadly, in a manner similar to what Johan Cruyff achieved with Barcelona and Spain.
The agenda is also ready in the event of a rejection. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Andrea Pirlo remains the favourite should Guardiola say no, while Corriere dello Sport suggests Roberto Mancini would be the main candidate in that scenario. The search for a new head coach, ongoing since Gennaro Gattuso's resignation in April, thus looks set to be resolved soon either way.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
Image: Al Jazeera
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