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.
