“Pep Guardiola to be replaced at City by…”

The fact that Guardiola wants to retire at the end of the season does not catch Manchester City off guard. Rumors that the Spanish technician intends to quit to return to Spain have been around for a long time, and according to the tabloid The Sun, the “citizens” have already found a manager for the upcoming season.

Manchester City negotiated with Enzo Maresca in October and December 2025

“SunSport know Enzo Maresca will replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City” – headlined the UK's best-selling publication on Tuesday morning. Sacked by Chelsea in January, the Italian technician was Pep's second-in-command in the 2022-2023 “treble” season before taking over at Leicester City.

According to the same The Sun, one of the reasons why the Blues sacked him on the first day of the year was that “Maresca negotiated with Manchester City twice, in October 2025 and then in December”! Which confirms that City bosses were aware of Pep's decision to terminate his contract this summer.

Enzo Maresca also worked at Manchester City, from 2020 to 2023

The Italian technician was first hired by Manchester City in 2020. He worked as manager of the elite development team and led the under-21 side to the Premier League 2 title in his only season at the helm.

After a short spell at Parma from May to November 2021, he returned to Manchester in June 2022 to replace Juanmo Lillo as Guardiola's right-hand man. Together they won the “triple” championship – FA Cup – Champions League, in 2022 – 2023, then he went to Leicester, which he promoted in 2023 – 2024 to the Premier League.

Chelsea promptly offered him a 5-year contract and, up to a point, he didn't regret it. With Maresca on the bench, he won the Conference League and then the Club World Championship, 2025 edition. But the wrangles that arose at the end of the year, related to transfers and his negotiations with City, eventually led to the termination of the deal.

Up-to-date standings in the Premier League