Manchester City are on the brink of naming Enzo Maresca as their new manager.
According to BBC Sport, the former Chelsea boss is set to sign a three-year deal after the clubs settled a compensation dispute.
He will take on the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola.
The breakthrough came over the fee. City have agreed to pay Chelsea around £17m (€20m), a figure exceeding the earlier estimate of more than £10m first reported by the BBC.
That settlement clears the final hurdle in a saga that had dragged on for weeks.
Man City close in on Maresca after Chelsea deal
Chelsea felt entitled to compensation. Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January with three and a half years still on his contract.
The Blues had explored their legal options before the two clubs reached a resolution.
The appointment has been a month in the making. Guardiola confirmed his departure after a decade in charge, ending the defining era of City’s modern history.
Maresca was quickly identified as the standout candidate and the only realistic choice.
His ties to the club run deep. Maresca worked as Guardiola’s assistant during the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, before reviving his career in management.
He won promotion with Leicester, then claimed the Conference League and Club World Cup at Chelsea.
His arrival also unlocks City’s transfer plans. Players awaiting clarity on their futures can finally meet the new boss when non-World Cup squad members return in mid-July.
Business has continued regardless. The BBC reports City have had two bids rejected for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and are preparing another.
That pursuit, aimed at replacing the departing Bernardo Silva, carries Maresca’s blessing.
Maresca is expected to travel to Manchester shortly to finalise the contract, with City declining to comment when approached by the BBC.
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