Legendary Italian footballer Paolo Maldini has revealed that there were serious attempts to bring Pep Guardiola in as head coach of Italy's national team.
The former AC Milan director's comments were relayed by renowned insider Fabrizio Romano, citing the publication Corriere.
It turns out that the parties were just a step away from signing a contract.
«We were extremely close to securing Pep Guardiola as the new head coach of the Italian national team,» the ex-technical director of the Italian federation admitted.
According to him, the Spanish manager was prepared to accept the financial terms laid out by the federation and had already begun planning his approach.
«Pep was set to agree to the same salary as the previous coach, and he had started thinking about players and a potential starting lineup...» the Italian added.
However, at the last moment, Guardiola's plans changed for personal reasons unrelated to football.
«A few days later, Pep decided to decline as he was tired and wanted to spend some time with his family... we respect that,» Maldini concluded.
