Talk of Pep Guardiola taking charge of the Italian national team has resurfaced. Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, has admitted there was contact with the Spanish coach, though he stopped short of guaranteeing the talks would bear fruit.
Gravina even suggested that in Guardiola's case, "exceptions" could be made at budget level to cover his salary.
The newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport" reported this Thursday that the Catalan coach asked for 20 million euros per year to take the job, double what the Italian Football Federation is said to be prepared to pay.
The demand, according to the Italian paper, is designed to make it impossible for Italy and force them to refuse. Guardiola has previously hinted that he prefers to take a break after 10 years with Manchester City before starting another project.
Maldini and Leonardo, Italy's sporting directors, still see Guardiola as their favoured candidate, the newspaper insists, but not at this price.
So begins the search for a new manager for the Azzurri. Aside from Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo leads the field, followed by Roberto Mancini and then Antonio Conte.
Italy have now failed to qualify for the World Cup across the last three editions: 2018, 2022 and 2026. That has left Italian football in a severe crisis crying out for a radical solution, which is exactly why the Guardiola idea took hold: to put the Italians back on the global map.