Enzo Maresca reaches ‘agreement in principle’ to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has reached an ‘agreement in principle’ to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City on a two-year deal with the option of a third.

It’s been widely reported that this could be Guardiola’s final season at the Etihad despite him having one year left on his contract at the club.

Antoine Semenyo’s delightful flick secured victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday as Guardiola won his 20th trophy at the club.

When asked by TNT Sports about the rumours this could be his final season as City manager, Guardiola refused to give a definitive answer.

“What rumours? Have a lovely evening,” the Spaniard said with a smile, before ending the interview.

Previous attempts to draw Guardiola into confirming his future one way or the other have resulted in the City legend simply stating he has “one year left on the contract” and with former Chelsea boss Maresca tipped to be his successor, journalist Nicolo Schira has now revealed that the Italian boss has an agreement in place to take over.

He wrote on X: ‘Excl. – Enzo #Maresca has an agreement in principle with #ManchesterCity for a contract until 2028 with the option for 2029. #MCFC have designeted former Chelsea’s manager as #Guardiola’s replacement if Pep leaves. It’s up to Guardiola decides what to do. Maresca is waiting.’

Maresca was sacked by Chelsea in January amid reports claiming he had spoken to City officials about replacing Guardiola at the Etihad.

‘The future is bright’

Whether this supposed agreement is an indication of Guardiola’s imminent resignation isn’t clear, but Maresca will have quite the squad to work with if he’s given the reins.

Guardiola insisted after the victory over Chelsea that “the future is bright”.

He said: “I took time to click, I missed something in the process,” he said. “We made a lot of different shapes with pressing, this player with the other player. We had the feeling that in the last two months I felt some stability with the team that I didn’t find in the past, but it’s normal with a lot of new players and injured players.

“Sometimes you need a little bit more time but the highest competitions don’t wait. Top eight in the Champions League, we found one of the toughest opponents in Real Madrid but in the rest of the competitions we have behaved extraordinary in all competitions and the future is bright. I know the guys, I know how they feel, the commitment for the club and very professional. I’m pretty sure we will be there in the next years.”