Italy confirm Ancelotti approach before Guardiola

What the report says

Nile Post, carrying a BBC Sport report, says Italy’s football federation approached Carlo Ancelotti about the national team job before entering discussions with Pep Guardiola. The Azzurri are searching for a new head coach after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down in April, following Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini said at a news conference that Italy had spoken with Ancelotti first, before talks with Guardiola. Maldini framed the sequence as an attempt to begin with candidates viewed among the best available. Ancelotti, a former Italy and AC Milan teammate of Maldini, is currently Brazil’s head coach, and the report says the Brazilian Football Confederation has confirmed he will stay in that role after a World Cup last-16 defeat by Norway.

The article also notes that FIGC president Giovanni Malago had earlier acknowledged discussions with Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer after a decade in charge, and suggested salary exceptions could be considered. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Guardiola wanted an annual salary of 20 million euros, but Maldini declined to provide an update when asked about that claim.

The decision matters because Italy, historically one of international football’s major powers, is trying to reset after another qualification failure. Maldini said the federation would prefer to make an appointment by the end of the week, while stressing that selecting the right coach is more important than speed. Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo have also been linked with the vacancy.