Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup — their third consecutive absence from the tournament — and the entire technical setup including Gennaro Gattuso and delegation chief Gigi Buffon has since departed. A new FIGC president is due to be elected on 22 June.
Guardiola has a contract at Manchester City until June 2027 but his future at the club is increasingly uncertain, with City currently three points behind Arsenal in the title race.
He has previously stated publicly that he intends to manage a national team before retiring from coaching, and that the job he coveted most was England — a door now closed by Thomas Tuchel's contract extension until 2028.
The Gazzetta makes the case that Guardiola's affinity for Italy, where he played for Brescia and AS Roma earlier in his career and described the country as a formative influence on his football education, makes the connection credible rather than fanciful. Carlo Ancelotti is expected to extend his contract with Brazil until 2030.
Former Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci, who has retained his FIGC staff role following Gattuso's exit, backed the idea publicly at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid this week: "If there's a genuine desire to start again, I'd do so with the rumoured possibility of having Pep Guardiola. I think it's very hard, but dreaming doesn't cost anything."