Enzo Maresca is top candidate for Manchester City job if Pep Guardiola leaves

Enzo Maresca has emerged as the leading candidate to take over Manchester City if Pep Guardiola leaves the club this summer.

Maresca has been out of work since he stepped down as Chelsea manager following a complete breakdown in relations with the club’s hierarchy.

According to The Guardian , there have been positive talks over the Italian replacing Guardiola this summer.

The current City boss has a year left on his contract but there is a growing feeling within football that he will leave at the end of the season.

The Premier League giants are putting contingency plans in place for life after the Spaniard.

They have identified Maresca as an ideal option. He already knows the club well, having worked as Guardiola’s assistant when they lifted the Champions League trophy in 2023.

He performed an impressive job after being appointed as Leicester City manager in the summer of that year.

His Leicester side won the Championship title with an incredible 97 points to win promotion to the Premier League.

Maresca left to take over Chelsea , where he secured Champions League qualification with a fourth-place league finish.

The Blues also won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup under the 46-year-old last season.

Chelsea were enduring a poor run of form when he left his role at Stamford Bridge.

But sacking Maresca was an unpopular decision, and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali admitted in a recent interview it had a negative impact on their season .