New FIGC President Negotiating with Maldini and Conte | OneFootball

As expected, Giovanni Malagò won the FIGC election in a landslide, garnering nearly 70 percent of the votes, and his next mission will be to appoint a new director and a new Italy coach, in that order, with Paolo Maldini and Antonio Conte as the current favorites, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.

The former Milan exec is extremely on the fence, but he hasn’t definitely rejected yet. He hasn’t held a proper front office role since being dismissed by the Rossoneri a couple of years ago.

Malagò is trying to woo Maldini with a brand-new, wide-ranging role, as he’d helm the whole technical structure and youth system, while Antonio Conte has a four-year contract to manage the Azzurri on his table.

The Serie A clubs, which were early supporters of the new president, are pushing for such a solution. The league might even contribute financially to convince the boss. They seem him as a better fit for his resume and personality. Instead, the fact that Roberto Mancini, the other main candidate, is a close friend of the chairman is a knock against him. Plus, not everybody has forgiven him for the way he abandoned the bench for Saudi Arabia.

Claudio Ranieri or Gianluigi Buffon are the fallbacks for the brass, Gianluca Di Marzio informs.

Our Take on Italy, Conte, and Maldini

Many have tried to lure the former in recent years, and, while there’s no real winning recipe at the international level, it’d be nice if the new federal cycle started with a win. There should really be no doubt among the two managers, but it’s a big commitment. While that shouldn’t be the main factor, the offer will be below market value.