Manchester City close to £10m Chelsea settlement that will finally land Enzo Maresca

Manchester City are closing in on a compensation agreement with Chelsea worth around £10m that will allow them to formally appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager, nearly a month after Pep Guardiola ended his decade at the Etihad Stadium.

Maresca has long been City’s preferred choice to succeed Guardiola, and with the Italian having left Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day, his appointment had appeared a formality. But Chelsea’s insistence on financial compensation for the loss of their manager has delayed the move, with lawyers from both clubs locked in prolonged negotiations.

The sticking point centres on the circumstances of Maresca’s exit. He resigned from Chelsea with three and a half years remaining on his contract, having informed club officials last autumn that he had already held talks with City about succeeding Guardiola — at a point when Guardiola had not yet decided when he would leave. Chelsea believe that constitutes a breach of contract and have been seeking payment accordingly.

The Blues also point to the tangible cost of losing Maresca, who guided them to Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League glory in his first season in charge. His departure contributed to a damaging second half of last season, with Chelsea finishing 10th and missing out on European football entirely.

There have been suggestions Chelsea could report City to the Premier League for an alleged tapping-up offence, but the clubs share a broadly cordial relationship at boardroom level and no such complaint is expected to be filed.

City do not return for pre-season training until the middle of next month, which gives both clubs a workable window to finalise terms. The settlement is understood to be in the £10m range — a figure that puts it in context with the £8m Chelsea themselves paid Leicester City in 2024 to secure Maresca after he had led the Foxes to Championship promotion.

A resolution is expected sooner rather than later, with City keen to have their new manager in place well ahead of pre-season.