Enzo Maresca received Chelsea permission to explore Man City move in 2025 on key condition

Enzo Maresca received Chelsea permission to explore Man City move in 2025 on key condition Enzo Maresca informed Chelsea of desire to succeed Pep Guardiola at Man City in October 2025 Chelsea initially granted permission for Maresca to speak with City to discuss 2026 move The development emerges after official statements from both clubs over Maresca this week Enzo Maresca was granted permission by Chelsea to speak with Manchester City as early as October 2025 but only on the understanding that he would see out the 2025-26 season at Stamford Bridge, according to a new report. The timeline adds further texture to a saga that has already been the subject of official statements from both clubs after Maresca was finally confirmed as Pep Guardiola ‘s successor at the Etihad Stadium on Monday. Manchester City confirmed that confidential conversations with Maresca took place “in autumn and winter of 2025” while he remained Chelsea ‘s head coach – and the London outfit revealing in their own statement that they was informed in autumn 2025 of a possible opportunity for Maresca to succeed Guardiola in the north-west. Revealed: How much Man City paid Chelsea to hire Enzo Maresca as new manager What had previously been described only in broad terms by both clubs is now beginning to take on a clearer chronology, with Chelsea’s statement having cited Maresca’s ‘strong desire’ to pursue the City job became apparent despite being under a long-term contract he had no right to terminate – in the eyes of Stamford Bridge officials. Report: Permission granted in October 2025, conditional on finishing the season According to Matt Law and James Ducker of The Telegraph , upon informing Chelsea of his interest in succeeding Guardiola in October 2025, Maresca was initially granted permission to speak to City but explicitly with a view to him completing the 2025-26 season in south-west London before any move materialised. That detail places the origin of discussions several months earlier than some had assumed, and suggests Chelsea’s initial position was one of conditional cooperation rather than outright resistance, with the club seemingly prepared to facilitate a path to City for Maresca provided his commitments at Stamford Bridge were honoured in full. The arrangement ultimately broke down when Maresca resigned abruptly on 1 January 2026, a decision Chelsea described in their own statement as leaving the club ‘let down’ – having believed his focus had shifted away from Stamford Bridge despite having only recently arrived the year before. What does this timeline mean for the wider Maresca-City saga? The revelation that permission was granted as early as October 2025 complicates the picture painted by Chelsea’s statement, which placed heavy emphasis on the disruption caused by Maresca’s mid-season departure without fully detailing how early the club itself had sanctioned contact between the two parties. For City, the timeline lends credibility to the version of events outlined in their statement, which framed Maresca as a long-standing candidate within the club’s succession planning rather than an opportunistic late approach, with director of football Hugo Viana having clearly viewed the Italian’s return to the Etihad Stadium as a considered process. Revealed: How Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain propelled Man City’s Enzo Maresca appointment Whether further details of the October 2025 conversations emerge in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but with Maresca now settled into his new role at the Etihad Stadium and a compensation settlement formally agreed between the two clubs, the saga has reached its conclusion, with City paying around £17 million to Chelsea for their new head coach.