Pep Guardiola rejects immediate return to management after international offer

Pep Guardiola has turned down the opportunity to become the next Italy head coach.

The former Manchester City boss was the first-choice candidate to succeed Gennaro Gattuso who left the role in March following Italy’s failure to qualify for a third successive World Cup.

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Italian Football Federation (FIGC) technical director Paolo Maldini had sounded out Guardiola as the man to help rebuild the national team.

Maldini and his advisor Leonardo flew to Barcelona last weekend to hold talks with Guardiola in the hope of luring him into his first international role.

Not the right time

However, the Spaniard has opted against accepting the offer as he wants to dedicate time to his family.

The 55-year-old is determined to take extended leave from football management to recharge before making a comeback in the future.

An instant return to football following a decade in charge at the Etihad Stadium was always likely to be a difficult hurdle to overcome in negotiations.

There were also Guardiola’s reported salary demands of around £17million a year.

The figure was at odds with the FIGC’s budget of £8.5m a year although one senior figure said there could be salary exceptions for managers of a certain level.

The news comes as a huge blow to the FIGC who had hoped to transform Italy’s flailing fortunes under Guardiola.

The Spaniard’s decision could see Maldini turn his attention to Carlo Ancelotti in a bid to fill the void while former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo is another option.

The legendary Italian is contracted to Brazil until after the 2030 World Cup; however, the mood around his position with the Selecao has worsened following their premature World Cup exit.

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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Maldini said had hoped to confirm a new manager by the end of the week.

“The ideal would be to have the coach by the end of this week, but perhaps even more ideal would be to wait for the person we really want,”

“There is a certain hurry, but not a hasty one.

“We cannot deny that we also spoke to Carlo Ancelotti before talking to Pep, and it felt only right to start with those we considered to be the best in the world. So we needed to get a general idea of their availability.”

According to Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, Guardiola told the FIGC that he had seriously considered the offer but the timing was not right for him to take the job.

The report claims that Guardiola still sees himself as a day-to-day coach on the training pitch rather than one that adopts a part-time role.

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Maldini and Leonardo previously claimed that it could take eight to ten years for Italy to return to the top of international football, a timespan that may have further deterred Guardiola from the position.