Breaking: Pep Guardiola has made his decision after being unemployed since leaving Manchester City.
Sky Sports Italy reported that Pep Guardiola, former manager of Manchester City's "Citizens," has declined the opportunity to replace Gennaro Gattuso as head coach of the Italian national team.
The Italian Football Federation negotiated with Guardiola for three days to persuade him to accept the position, even offering a substantial salary after Gattuso resigned in April following Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time.
Guardiola responded to the Italian Football Federation on Thursday night, declining the role due to personal reasons unrelated to football.
The officials sent by the Italian Football Federation to negotiate with Guardiola were Paolo Maldini and his advisor Leonardo, who explained their future plans for the national team.
During discussions with the former Manchester City manager in Barcelona, Maldini and Leonardo presented a vision that went beyond merely offering him the coaching position.
In FIGC’s vision, Guardiola would play a crucial role in a project aimed at rebuilding Italian football on a solid foundation.
This overhaul would not only involve the senior national team but also other squads. Reports say Guardiola listened carefully to Maldini and Leonardo's proposal but ultimately chose to decline.
The two main candidates likely to take over the role after Guardiola's refusal are Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo.