Enzo Maresca Talks Advance as Chelsea Transfer News Gathers Pace

Chelsea transfer news has shifted toward Manchester City, who are continuing talks with Enzo Maresca this week about succeeding Pep Guardiola. A three-year contract is still being worked through, and the club expects to finalise a deal in the coming days.

Maresca and Manchester City

The discussions are centred on the timing of his appointment, the make-up of his backroom staff and other finer details. That keeps the process moving on two fronts at once: City are shaping the next coaching group while also sorting the structure around it.

Maresca is not a stranger to the club. He worked under Guardiola as assistant coach during the 2022/23 season, before later moving on to Chelsea.

Guardiola Staff Changes

City added to the sense of movement on Tuesday when they announced that Pep Lijnders, Kolo Toure, Lorenzo Buenaventura, Manel Estiarte and Xabi Mancisidor are leaving the club. Lijnders and Toure are among the assistants stepping away as the coaching setup shifts around Guardiola.

The change around the manager is the sharper edge of the story, but the contract terms matter just as much. Maresca left Chelsea in January with three-and-a-half years still left on his deal, and club lawyers may consider compensation because of that remaining term.

Chelsea Contract Complication

Chelsea were told last autumn that Maresca had been the subject of interest from Manchester City, so the move has been developing for months rather than appearing out of nowhere. He then left in January after helping Chelsea move through his brief spell there.

The practical outcome now is clear: City are close to locking in Guardiola's successor, but the final paperwork still has to settle the contract length, the staff group and the compensation question tied to Maresca's Chelsea exit. For Chelsea, that leaves a possible financial claim on a coach they lost after only a short stay.