Paolo Maldini, the technical director of the Italian Football Federation, said on Thursday that the federation contacted Carlo Ancelotti regarding taking over the coaching of the national team, before negotiating with Pep Guardiola.

Italy is looking for a new coach since Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April last year after the Italian national team, four-time world champion, failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

Maldini said in a press conference: 'We cannot hide the fact that we also spoke to Carlo Ancelotti before speaking to Pep. Honestly, it seemed right to start with those we consider the best in the world.'

The Brazilian federation confirmed that Ancelotti, who previously played with Maldini at Milan, would remain at the helm of the technical leadership of the Brazilian national team, five-time world champion, despite the defeat to Norway in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

Speaking after a meeting with Italian league officials, Maldini said the Italian federation will appoint a coach in the coming days, but his priority is to find the right person.

Does Guardiola's salary pose a crisis?

In response to a question about a report published by the Italian newspaper (La Gazzetta dello Sport) stating that Guardiola demands up to 20 million euros ($22.8 million) annually to take the position, which is double what the federation offers: 'Honestly, we cannot provide any updates on what is happening at the moment.'

The newspaper said Guardiola's desire to spend more time with his family in Barcelona complicates the negotiations.

Guardiola left Manchester City in May after a trophy-laden tenure, leading the team to win the English Premier League six times, the FA Cup three times, the English League Cup five times, in addition to the Champions League.

Maldini's mission to rebuild the national team structure

Giovanni Malagò, the new president of the Italian federation, tasked Maldini, who was a key pillar in the defense of the Italian national team in the 1990s and early 2000s, with rebuilding the technical structure of the Italian national team.

Leonardo, the former sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain who works as an advisor to Maldini, said the new coach will need to adopt a long-term technical project to restructure training methods and player development in both the senior national team and youth teams.

Other potential candidates include Antonio Conte, who coached the national team between 2014 and 2016, and whose last position was coach of Napoli.

Former Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo is also considered a potential option, along with talk of the return of Roberto Mancini, who led the Italian national team to win the European Championship in 2021, as another possible alternative.