The fortune Pep Guardiola reportedly requested to take charge of the Italian national team

The possibility of seeing Pep Guardiola in charge of the Italian national team began to gain momentum after contacts between the Spanish coach and officials from the Italian Football Federation were confirmed.

However, a significant financial disagreement reportedly complicated the talks and pushed the former Manchester City coach further away from the Italian bench.

Italy opened the door to negotiations with Guardiola

Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malagò acknowledged that there had been approaches to Guardiola, although he stopped short of suggesting that negotiations were close to reaching a final agreement.

The official even stated that the Federation would be willing to make certain budgetary exceptions in an attempt to hire one of the most successful coaches in European soccer.

Guardiola had emerged as the preferred candidate to lead a new era for the Italian national team, especially after bringing his 10-year spell in charge of Manchester City to an end.

The figure that reportedly complicated the talks

Pep Guardiola reportedly requested a salary of 20 million euros per season to become Italy's new head coach.

That amount would be approximately double what Italian officials were prepared to pay, even while considering an extraordinary financial effort to complete the appointment.

The substantial demand reportedly prompted the Federation to reconsider the deal, as the salary would be well above the budget planned for the Azzurri's next manager.

Guardiola was the Azzurri's preferred candidate

Despite the financial complications, Guardiola would reportedly remain the favored choice of Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, the sporting officials in charge of Italy's new project.

With no progress in negotiations, Italy reportedly resumed its search for alternatives to take over the position and begin planning its next international cycle as soon as possible.

The request may have been made to provoke a negative response from the Italian Federation, as the coach had previously expressed his intention to step away from management temporarily and enjoy a period of rest before beginning another project.

The alternatives Italy is considering

After Guardiola, the next name on the list of preferred candidates would reportedly be Andrea Pirlo, who is already familiar with the national team environment after being one of Italy's leading players.

Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte would also be among the potential candidates, with both coaches having previously managed the Azzurri and possessing extensive knowledge of Italian soccer.

For now, the possibility of Guardiola taking charge of Italy appears to have cooled. The financial disagreement and the coach's desire to take a break could ultimately bring one of the most surprising moves in the international coaching market to an end.