Enzo Maresca set for Manchester City role after private talks with Guardiola

Enzo Maresca is on the verge of being appointed Manchester City manager, with the Italian having already held private talks with Pep Guardiola about the squad he is set to inherit, according to The Athletic. Guardiola departed the Etihad after a decade in charge, during which he delivered six Premier League titles, the Champions League and multiple domestic cups.

The discussions between Maresca and Guardiola are understood to centre on the current City squad, with the incoming manager keen to build on the structures his predecessor put in place rather than immediately overhaul the playing staff. Transfer activity is not reported to be a strict early priority for Maresca, whose focus is on connecting with the existing players and embedding his philosophy.

The task is complicated by the departures of long-serving veterans Bernardo Silva and John Stones, both of whom left the Etihad at the end of the previous season. Director of football Hugo Viana will oversee recruitment and sales, with a right-back, central midfielder and winger identified as the club’s primary positional needs.

Maresca’s most direct involvement in transfer business is expected to be in finding a replacement for Silva, with Elliot Anderson understood to be the club’s main target in that area. City’s financial position is described as healthy, and the no-fee exits of Silva and Stones are not anticipated to constrain summer spending.

The club could also look to replicate the model used to sign Marc Guehi — who joined six months before Stones’ departure — by securing future targets in advance. On the outgoing side, Nico Gonzalez is considered the most likely to leave, though a longer list of potential departures includes Tijani Reijnders, Nathan Ake, James Trafford, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho and Omar Marmoush.

Maresca’s first games as City manager are expected to come during a pre-season tour of the Far East, with the squad for those fixtures unlikely to feature many senior players.