Italy approached Carlo Ancelotti about the national team coaching job before discussing the role with Pep Guardiola, Italian technical director Paolo Maldini said on Thursday.
Italy have been searching for a new coach since Gennaro Gattuso stepped down in April after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
"We cannot hide the fact that we also spoke to Carlo Ancelotti before talking to Pep. Frankly, it seemed right to start with those we considered the best in the world," Maldini told reporters during a press conference.
The Brazilian Football Confederation has confirmed Ancelotti, an Italian and former team mate of Maldini at AC Milan, will remain in charge of the five-time world champions despite their defeat by Norway in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking after a meeting with Serie A executives, Maldini said the Italian federation would ideally appoint a coach by the end of the week but its priority was getting the right man.
"We honestly cannot provide any updates on what is happening at the moment," Maldini said when asked about a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport saying that Guardiola was seeking as much as €20 million ($22.8 million) per year to do the job, double what Italy's football federation (FIGC) was offering.
Another factor complicating the talks is Guardiola's desire to spend more time in Barcelona with his family, according to La Gazzetta.
Guardiola left Manchester City in May after a trophy-laden decade in charge, during which he won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League.
A mainstay of Italy's defense in the 1990s and 2000s, Maldini has been tasked by new FIGC President Giovanni Malago with rebuilding the Azzurri's technical structure.
Leonardo, the former Paris St Germain sporting director who serves as an adviser to Maldini, said Italy's next coach would need to embrace a long-term technical project to overhaul training and player-development methods across both the senior national team and the youth setup.
Other potential candidates include Antonio Conte, who did the job between 2014 and 2016, and whose last job was as coach of Napoli.
Former Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo is also seen as a possibility. A return of Roberto Mancini, who coached Italy when they won the European Championship in 2021, has also been cited as another potential alternative.
