The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has spoken to Carlo Ancelotti in addition to Pep Guardiola regarding the national team’s vacant head coach role, technical director Paolo Maldini says.Giovanni Malago, the new head of the FIGC, said on July 21 that the federation had held talks with Guardiola over succeeding Gennaro Gattuso, who left the role in April following the country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.Former Italy defender Maldini, 58, was appointed the FICG’s technical director this month and said on Thursday that conversations had been had not only with the former Manchester City manager, but also Brazil head coach Ancelotti.The 2006 World Cup winner explained the recruitment strategy for Italy’s “ambitious project” was to start by targeting the world’s best coaches. He did not disclose how successful the discussions had been, but said they were in the process of clarifying the pair’s availability.Why Italian mothers are being blamed for the national team’s demiseJames HorncastleSpeaking to reporters following an FIGC visit to Serie A headquarters on Thursday, Maldini said: “Guardiola? We can’t confirm anything yet — you’ve identified one of our targets, but we’ve also spoken with Ancelotti.