The Italian Football Federation have been searching for a new manager since Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup.

Paolo Maldini travelled to Barcelona to speak with the former Man City boss in an attempt to persuade him to lead Italy into the 2028 European Championships.

Guardiola said before leaving Manchester City that he wouldn’t take a new coaching job ‘for a while’