Romano mentioned Maresca on his personal social media and stated that regardless of when Guardiola leaves, City has already earmarked Maresca as Guardiola's successor.
Romano:
I've always emphasized to you that the inside information I have about Maresca is very clear: he is the clear and certain choice for the new manager of the Blue Moon in City's mind.
Maresca himself had already made his inner choice, and the whole thing is closely related to Guardiola. Whether Guardiola decides to leave this summer or waits until his contract expires in 2027 to leave Manchester City, Manchester City has already earmarked Maresca as Guardiola's successor.
Currently, the two parties have not signed any agreements, and everything remains undetermined, so there are still uncertainties in the matter.
We'll wait and see if Napoli or other teams can aggressively recruit Maresca, shake his resolve, and make him stop waiting and longing for the coaching opportunity at Manchester City.
But I can tell you for sure today that Manchester City has set its sights on this person.
The club believes that once Pep Guardiola leaves, Maresca is the coach who perfectly fits the team's style, and his tactical philosophy is a complete continuation of Guardiola's system.
It is obvious that Manchester City would not voluntarily let Guardiola go; instead, the opposite would be the norm. The English football community refers to this as a contingency plan, simply making preparations in advance for Guardiola's potential departure in the future.
In this plan, Maresca is the fastest-progressing and most practical candidate for Manchester City.
As for the managerial position at Napoli, we first need to see the future direction of Conte, and only then can we determine the successor after his departure. As of now, this matter remains undecided.