Man City and Chelsea remain in talks over Maresca

Manchester City and Chelsea remain locked in negotiations about Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola announced on 22 May he would step down as City boss after a trophy laden decade in charge, and Maresca was quickly identified as the leading contender to be his replacement.

Talks are at an advanced stage, with senior figures at both clubs discussing a compensation package for Maresca.

The 46-year-old won the Club World Cup and Conference League during his time at Stamford Bridge but left in January and is keen to take the City job.

Chelsea feel they are due compensation under the terms of Maresca's departure as he was contracted to the club until 2029 and left just six months ago.

The London club have been exploring their legal options and expect a compensation package to be paid, though it remains unclear both how much that might be, or when it will be resolved.

Maresca was an assistant to Guardiola during City's Treble-winning 2022-23 campaign and played a key role in the club's academy prior to joining the first team.

The former West Brom and Juventus midfielder left City in 2023 to manage Leicester, whom he guided to promotion to the Premier League in his only season.

What is holding up the appointment?

Maresca's final six months at Chelsea were marked by a fractured relationship with the club's ownership.

Compensation negotiations have been made more complex as Chelsea became aware of City's potential interest early in October and December.

Chelsea sources also claim they were aware of complaints from Maresca about the transfer policy at Stamford Bridge.

It is not known whether this played any role in Maresca's departure, but the relationship continued to further deteriorate over a number of issues, including medical staff and team selections.

Despite the tension, Chelsea sources say the hierarchy still respected much of Maresca's work with the players and he remained popular with the majority of the dressing room.