Manchester City are believed to be strongly considering Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca as their next manager.
Maresca is well known at City, having previously taken charge of the Under-21s in the 2020-21 campaign before returning two years later to work as Pep Guardiola's assistant.
There is still an admiration towards Maresca among the City hierarchy, and that could lead to the club attempting to bring the Italian back to the Etihad next summer.
The Athletic report that City are drawing up a shortlist of candidates to replace Guardiola, with belief said to be growing that he could decide to walk away at the end of the season.
Maresca is high up on the list of potential replacements currently being considered.
He led Chelsea to Club World Cup glory in the summer and is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2029, with an option to extend that for a further 12 months.
The Italian sparked speculation over his own position at Chelsea on Saturday when he bizarrely made cryptic comments after his side's win over Everton.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us," Maresca said.
He insisted he did not have a problem with the Chelsea fans and therefore raised the possibility of tension with the club's hierarchy.
Maresca has done nothing to clarify those comments since. Added to the fact that he signed with agent Jorge Mendes earlier this year, his future at Chelsea does not appear certain.
Guardiola's future at City was in doubt last season until he signed a new deal through to June 2027, but there is no guarantee that he will see out the contract.
Any firm decision from the 54-year-old is likely to come later this season. However, City are preparing for the possibility that he does decide to leave.
Next summer would mark a decade since Guardiola arrived at City and he has made it clear he will take a break from football when he does decide to depart the club.
Guardiola has previously always fulfilled his contracts, but he was only at Barcelona for four years and Bayern Munich for three.
