Why Man City are set to pay Chelsea to replace Pep Guardiola with Enzo Maresca

Manchester City are set to pay a fee to Chelsea after agreeing a three-year contract with Enzo Maresca to become Pep Guardiola's replacement.

After huge uncertainty surrounding his future at the Etihad Stadium, it was widely reported on Monday night that Guardiola will be departing after a decade of service.

The Catalan has decided to call time on his trophy-laden tenure in the blue half of Manchester, bowing out after the final home game of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Guardiola had pointed to the fact he still had one year remaining on his deal but has reportedly informed his players of his decision after of Tuesday's trip to Bournemouth.

For a while now it has been reported that Maresca, a former coach and assistant at City, was the club's preferred choice to replace Guardiola if he elected to move on.

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He departed Chelsea in January after winning the Club World Cup and Conference League, when he still had at least three and a half years on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

Although Chelsea have since appointed both Liam Rosenior and Xabi Alonso after the Italian's exit, The Guardian say there are still issues to resolve surrounding Maresca's contract.

Citing sources close to the 46-year-old, it's said that Chelsea still hold compensation rights and would be entitled to receive a significant sum from City.

Maresca is in the frame to replace Guardiola. Image: Getty

Maresca move could involve legal action

He did not claim severance when he left west London and though the exact amount City will likely need to pay has not been disclosed, the report noted that it is "unlikely to be small".

In addition, Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC followed up and said that "Chelsea believe compensation is due after Maresca walked out of the club in January".

He has agreed a three-year contract to take over at City, where he held different roles across two spells.

Another report from Sam Wallace in The Telegraph stated that Chelsea are poised to launch a legal complaint over City's move for Maresca and the impact it had on his final days with the two-time European champions.

It has been reported that Maresca held talks with City officials while he was Chelsea boss and told the club's ownership.

A 2-2 draw with Bournemouth proved to be his final game in charge and he skipped post-match media duties before leaving the game in fairly abrupt circumstances after his position became untenable.

The report claims the "expectation is that Chelsea will seek compensation from City and in order for any action to be taken, they would need to make a complaint to the Premier League - who would in turn be required to investigate.