Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Football Federation, confirmed Wednesday that he is in constant contact with Spaniard Pep Guardiola, who could take over the Italian national team. Malago was asked on platform X by the site Cronache di Spogliatoio about the possibility of increasing the budget allocated for appointing the new coach of the four-time world champion if it involved 'a name that has been much talked about in recent hours, Guardiola,' and he responded positively. He said: 'Yes, and this is an exception for obvious reasons, which I will not explain here, but it is not certain that this will lead to a positive outcome. However, I think despite that it was fair and important to open a dialogue and continue it.' The president, elected in June, added: 'This does not mean disrespecting the other candidates, quite the contrary, because discussions about them have already begun.' Malago clarified that the federation's choices are not limited to the three most talked-about names - Andrea Pirlo, 2006 world champion, Roberto Mancini, and Guardiola - to fill the position. Italy, winner of the World Cup four times and the European Championship twice, failed this year for the third consecutive time to qualify for the World Cup. Guardiola, 55, left his position as coach of English side Manchester City after 10 years, during which he led the club to 20 titles.