Italian FA Moves to Convince Guardiola to Coach National Team

The Italian Football Federation has begun practical steps to contract Spanish coach Pep Guardiola to take over as head coach of the Italian national team, following the vacancy left by Gennaro Gattuso's departure several months ago.

Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio revealed that Italian Football Federation officials held a secret meeting with Guardiola in Barcelona over the weekend to present the national team's project and the work plan for the upcoming phase.

Di Marzio added that Paolo Maldini, the new technical director of the Italian Football Federation, traveled to Barcelona specifically to meet with the Spanish coach, where he outlined the federation's vision to bring the Italian national team back into contention for major titles in the coming years.

Although negotiations are still far from reaching a final agreement, the Italian Football Federation's interest in signing Guardiola has evolved from an idea into an official move to gauge the possibility of convincing him to lead the national team.

Pep Guardiola heads a shortlist compiled by the Italian Football Federation, which also includes former national team coach Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo as candidates to succeed Gattuso.

The Italian Football Federation faces a tough task convincing the Spanish coach to return to work soon, after he concluded his tenure with Manchester City at the end of last season. He has expressed a desire to step away from coaching for an indefinite period to take a break after many years of continuous work.