Manchester City nears agreement with Chelsea to hire Enzo Maresca

Manchester City is closing in on a deal to pry Enzo Maresca away from Chelsea, a move that would mark the most consequential managerial hire in the Premier League this year. The appointment would officially begin the post-Pep Guardiola chapter at the Etihad, and City appears willing to pay a significant premium to make it happen.

Negotiations between the two clubs center on a compensation fee that is expected to exceed £10 million. Maresca still had roughly 3.5 years remaining on the five-year contract he signed with Chelsea in June 2024, which means Chelsea holds real leverage here.

The deal structure

A three-year contract for Maresca at Manchester City, reportedly running through 2029, has been agreed upon in principle. The holdup is not the terms between Maresca and City. It’s the financial settlement between the two clubs.

The £10 million-plus figure puts this in the upper tier of managerial compensation deals in English football. It reflects both the length of Maresca’s remaining contract and the simple reality that top managers are now treated as transfer assets in their own right.

Why Maresca

Maresca’s trajectory has been steep. Before Chelsea hired him, he spent a single season at Leicester City, winning the EFL Championship in 2024 and earning promotion back to the Premier League. That caught Chelsea’s attention, and they handed him a long-term deal.

His coaching DNA also matters here. Maresca spent time working under Guardiola at Manchester City as an assistant, absorbing the tactical philosophy that turned the club into a dynasty. Bringing in someone who already understands the system, the culture, and the expectations is a very City way of managing a transition.

Maresca favors possession-based football with structured buildup play and high pressing, all hallmarks of the Guardiola era. City’s squad was built to execute exactly this kind of football.

What this means for both clubs

For Chelsea, losing Maresca mid-project is disruptive. The research indicates Maresca departed Chelsea in January 2026 amid reported dissatisfaction as the team struggled for consistency. The compensation fee softens the blow financially.

For City, the hire addresses the most important question hanging over the club: who follows Guardiola? Spending north of £10 million on a compensation package is notable but manageable for a club of City’s resources.

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