Representatives of Man City have spoken to Enzo Maresca on three separate occasions in recent months, according to journalist David Ornstein.

The Italian was sacked by Chelsea on Thursday afternoon, and Ornstein claims that his interest in replacing Pep Guardiola may have played a part.

Anonymous sources say that Maresca was “talking to people associated to City”, with the first two meetings taking place in October, and the most recent coming last month.

Chelsea were aware of the talks as his contract stipulates that all contact with other teams must be reported.

Why were Man City speaking to Maresca?

Guariola has a contract that expires in the summer of 2027, so you wouldn’t think that there is an immediate need to line up a replacement.

However, when rumours about Maresca first emerged last month, it was suggested that many in City’s hierarchy believe that this could well be Guardiola’s last season in charge.

It means that Director of Football Hugo Viana is required to put together a shortlist of candidates to replace the Catalan, and Maresca is obviously among the options.

Mendes is a key figure in all this

It should be pointed out that Maresca changed his agent not that long ago. He is now represented by Gestifute, which is run by super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Viana has close connections to Mendes, so it would not be a surprise if the two have been discussing Maresca.

Of course, with the Italian now without a job, it would make things easier to appoint him as Guardiola’s successor, but there will be serious doubts over whether he is a suitable candidate.

He did leave Chelsea under a cloud. The Blues are currently sitting 5th in the table, 10 points adrift of City in 2nd, ahead of the game between the two sides this weekend.

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