Andrea Pirlo Accepts Offer: Set to Become Italy’s New Head Coach

The dream of appointing Pep Guardiola is over. Italy are ready to begin a new era, with Andrea Pirlo expected to take charge of the national team.

According to the latest reports, Pirlo has accepted the offer to lead Italy, becoming the chosen candidate for the new project overseen by Giovanni Malagò, Paolo Maldini and Leonardo.

Following Guardiola’s final rejection—after the Catalan coach decided to take a year-long sabbatical to spend time with his family—the Italian leadership immediately accelerated negotiations with “Il Maestro.” Pirlo moved ahead of other high-profile candidates, including Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte.

Pirlo Heading Toward the Italy Job

Reports emerging in recent hours have been confirmed by several sources: Andrea Pirlo is expected to become Italy’s new head coach.

The former Juventus manager, who won the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup with the club, has also coached Sampdoria and is currently in charge of United FC in Dubai.

Pirlo was contacted directly by Maldini and Leonardo, who consider him the ideal candidate to lead the Italian national team’s new project.

Contract Details

The parties are working to finalize the financial terms of the agreement. Pirlo is expected to sign a four-year contract running until 2030.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, his salary is not expected to exceed €1.5 million per season.

However, Maldini’s long-term vision is to develop a project lasting eight to ten years, similar to the proposal previously presented to Guardiola.

Before officially signing, Pirlo must terminate his existing contract with United FC. This is considered a formality and is not expected to jeopardize the agreement.

Why Maldini and Leonardo Chose Pirlo

Their decision is based on three main factors:

Personal relationship: Maldini and Pirlo share a long-standing friendship forged during their successful years together at AC Milan. Football philosophy: Pirlo represents a style based on technical quality, control of possession, group management and building play from the back. National-team identity: As a 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, he fully understands the significance of the Azzurri shirt and commands enormous respect throughout Italian football.

The primary objective of the new project is to return Italy to the World Cup after missing the previous three editions.

Negotiations have entered their final stage, and Pirlo is expected to sign in the coming days. The official announcement could be made during the Federal Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 28.

Andrea Pirlo is ready to take charge of Italy and begin a new chapter in the history of the Azzurri.