The Italian Football Federation is pursuing Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as its next national team coach following a sweeping leadership overhaul triggered by a third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup.
New federation president Giovanni Malagò, who took over after outgoing chief Gabriele Gravina departed alongside head coach Gennaro Gattuso and team manager Gianluigi Buffon, persuaded Paolo Maldini to serve as technical director. Maldini then travelled to Barcelona over the weekend and, alongside federation adviser Leonardo, spent nearly three days negotiating with Guardiola over a possible appointment.
The federation is also keeping Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Mancini under consideration as alternatives should the Guardiola pursuit fail. Gattuso resigned after a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina sealed Italy's latest absence from football's premier tournament.