Manchester City close in on Enzo Maresca appointment – reports

By Andy Hampson, Press Association

Manchester City are close to appointing Enzo Maresca as manager after reaching a verbal agreement with Chelsea over compensation, according to reports.

Reports in Italy have claimed City will pay the London outfit around £17million to secure the services of the 46-year-old.

Maresca, City’s preferred choice to succeed Pep Guardiola, has been out of work since leaving Chelsea on New Year’s Day but an agreement had to be reached over the remaining three years of his contract.

He is now expected to sign a three-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.

City did not comment on the reports when contacted by the Press Association on Monday.

Maresca was immediately installed as favourite for the position when Guardiola announced he was leaving in the final week of the 2025-26 campaign.

Speculation over a possible return to City, where he was previously Guardiola’s assistant, had already been growing for several months.

As a manager, Maresca led Leicester to promotion to the Premier League in 2024 before guiding Chelsea to Conference League and Club World Cup glory the following year.

He left Stamford Bridge after a poor run of form and a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s ownership.

Maresca faces a tough challenge in following the most successful manager in City’s history, but his previous work under Guardiola and familiarity with the club made him the standout candidate.