Enzo Maresca is moving closer to the Manchester City job after reports of a compensation agreement with Chelsea. The package is being put at around £17m, with some coverage also framing it as €20m, roughly £17.2m. Either way, the main obstacle now appears to be final paperwork rather than fresh negotiations.
That is a significant shift in the story. This is no longer really about whether City want Maresca. It is about when the appointment is wrapped up, and when the club chooses to announce it.
The agreement City needed
Goal has reported that City and Chelsea have agreed a compensation package worth around £17m to buy out the remainder of Maresca's deal. Mirror coverage points in the same direction, which is enough to treat the move as close, even if it should not be described as officially complete yet.
That distinction matters here because the reporting has stopped short of saying the contract is signed and sealed by club statement. The sensible read is that City have cleared the expensive part of the process and are now into the formal stage.
For City, paying that level of compensation only makes sense if the decision is already settled internally. Clubs do not edge towards a fee in that range for a speculative idea. They do it when they are confident the candidate is the one they want.
Maresca's case for the job
Maresca's appeal is not hard to trace. He previously worked under Pep Guardiola during Manchester City's 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, which gives him direct knowledge of the club's methods and standards. He also led Leicester City to promotion from the Sky Bet Championship before moving on to Chelsea.
Nedum Onuoha told mirror.co.uk: "I think he very much could fit the bill. This is somebody that has managed in the top flight with Chelsea and somebody that was also at City as an assistant coach."
That feels like the strongest part of the case. City are not hiring somebody who needs to learn the environment from scratch, but they are also not just bringing back an old assistant for comfort. Maresca has already had the promotion job at Leicester and the pressure of managing Chelsea.
Onuoha also made a fair point about the profile City should be looking for. He said: "I think whoever they bring in, they're coming in to not try to be Guardiola, they're being brought in because of who they are."
That is probably the right lens for this appointment. Anyone walking into this job will be measured against Guardiola, but copying him is not the same as convincing a dressing room or carrying a title-level side.
The level he would inherit
This is not a rescue mission. Manchester City finished second in the Premier League with 78 points and posted a 23-9-6 league record. Even with a mixed end to the season, they remain a side operating at title-contending level.
That raises the pressure immediately. Maresca would not be arriving to ask for patience while a rebuild takes shape. He would be taking over a team expected to compete straight away, which is a very different proposition from leaving Chelsea, who finished 10th with a 14-10-14 league record.
Those numbers are also why his Chelsea spell will be read in two ways. He did win the Conference League and the Club World Cup in 2025, but the league campaign was uneven enough that his exit never felt entirely surprising. City are still backing him anyway, which tells you they value the fit and the familiarity as much as the mixed league return at Stamford Bridge.
The key point now is simple enough: City appear to have settled the compensation issue, and the move is close without being official yet. Until the formal confirmation arrives, that is the line to hold. For now, the story is that Maresca's return to Manchester City is nearing the finish line after the reported agreement with Chelsea.
FAQ
Is Enzo Maresca officially the new Manchester City manager?
Not yet. Reports say Manchester City and Chelsea have agreed a compensation package and the move is close, but it should still be framed as pending final formalities rather than officially completed.
How much is Manchester City paying Chelsea for Enzo Maresca?
The reported compensation is around £17m. Some coverage also frames it as €20m, which is roughly £17.2m, so the consistent reading is that City have agreed a package in that range rather than a club-announced exact fee.
Why do Manchester City want Enzo Maresca?
The appeal is fairly obvious. Maresca knows the club from his time as Pep Guardiola's assistant during City's 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, and he also arrives with promotion on his record after taking Leicester City up before moving to Chelsea.
What kind of job would Enzo Maresca be stepping into at Manchester City?
A very demanding one. City are coming off a second-place Premier League finish with 78 points and posted a 23-9-6 league record, so this is not a rebuild as much as a handover at a club still expected to challenge at the top.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →