La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the vacant Italy head coach role could yet prove to be his most surprising destination.
Guardiola was succeeded at Manchester City by Enzo Maresca, his former assistant, but has given little away about his own next step. The idea of taking charge of a national team has long been rumoured to appeal to him, and he was previously linked with the Netherlands job after their World Cup exit.
Now, with several major nations at the end of a tournament cycle and searching for new leadership, Italy has emerged as a fresh possibility.
The timing is significant given the FIGC's decision to hand Paolo Maldini and Leonardo control of the national team project as technical director and advisor respectively. Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini remain the favourites according to most reports, but La Gazzetta suggests Guardiola is viewed as the "revolutionary" option being seriously weighed by the new regime, even if such a move would represent a considerable shift for Italian football and could take time to negotiate.
Money is likely to be the biggest obstacle. Guardiola's salary at City was reported to be in the region of €25m gross per season, a figure far beyond anything the Italian federation could match without financial help from Serie A clubs, who have historically favoured Conte for the role given his familiarity with the domestic game and his previous spell as national team boss between 2014 and 2016.
Carlo Ancelotti, still contracted to Brazil following their quarter-final World Cup exit to Norway, and former Milan boss Stefano Pioli, who worked under Maldini during their Scudetto-winning 2021-22 season, have also been mentioned as alternatives should the Guardiola pursuit prove unworkable.
For now, the idea remains just that — an idea — with no indication that formal contact has been made. Maldini and Leonardo are understood to want a choice that signals a genuine break from Italy's recent tournament failures, and Guardiola's global profile would certainly deliver that symbolism even if persuading him to accept a fraction of his previous earnings represents a considerable challenge in itself.