Manchester City have agreed a deal with Pep Guardiola’s reported replacement, Enzo Maresca, according to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, who says the agreement is in principle while Guardiola considers his future.
Schira wrote that Maresca has an agreement in principle with Manchester City for a contract running until 2028 with the option to extend to 2029, and added bluntly that "it is now up to Guardiola to decide what to do as Maresca is waiting." Schira also claimed separately that Maresca has already struck an agreement over an initial two‑year contract, a detail that underlines there are differing accounts of the exact terms.
City have designated Maresca as the manager who would take over if Guardiola leaves the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season. Guardiola still has one year left on his contract, has been linked with a move away, and has not made a formal decision about his future.
The timing of the reports comes as City focus on the finish of their season: the club lifted the FA Cup on Saturday and are trying to overcome Arsenal for the Premier League title, with two final games remaining and a season close against Aston Villa on May 24. Insiders say Manchester City are unlikely to make a formal announcement before that fixture.
Maresca’s CV gives the reported approach a familiar logic for City. He coached Manchester City’s under‑23 side and won Premier League 2 in his only season in charge. He spent a year as one of Guardiola’s assistant managers in 2022, followed by a season at Leicester in which he secured promotion from the Championship.
He was appointed Chelsea boss in 2024 and, during his first campaign there, led the club to the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup titles. Maresca stepped down from his Chelsea role in January after growing tension with the board.
The most immediate weight behind the story is the contract detail. One line of reporting frames it as a multi‑year deal through 2028 with a further year optional; another presents a shorter, two‑year arrangement. That mismatch matters because it speaks to how firmly City are preparing for a post‑Guardiola era and how ready Maresca is to step into a long‑term project.
The context is straightforward: Maresca is already familiar to City and their hierarchy, having worked in the club’s system and alongside Guardiola. His rapid rise from youth coach to top‑flight manager, then back into the frame at City, has been tracked since talks reportedly surfaced in December about replacing Guardiola.
The tension in the reporting is the story’s friction point. Manchester City have a clear contingency — or at least reports of one — but the final decision rests with Guardiola, who has not announced whether he will leave at season’s end. The club’s apparent reluctance to push a formal announcement before May 24 reinforces that Guardiola’s call remains decisive.
If the reports are accurate, Manchester City have secured a successor in principle and kept him waiting while they concentrate on the present run‑in. The next consequential fact will be Guardiola’s move: if he confirms he will stay, Maresca will remain a planned succession option; if he departs, City already have a familiar, trophy‑winning coach ready to take over.
Until that moment, the picture is simple and consequential — Maresca is waiting, the club have a reported agreement, and Guardiola holds the key to whether that agreement becomes a handover or a contingency unrolled later; as Schira put it, "it is now up to Guardiola to decide what to do as Maresca is waiting."
