Pep Guardiola 'wants' Roberto De Zerbi as next Barcelona manager

Roberto De Zerbi is the manager of English club Brighton

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has recommended his former club Barcelona to sign Roberto De Zerbi as their next manager.

Following Xavi’s departure news at the end of the season, the Catalan club are looking for a replacement. Several top managers are being linked with the job.

According to Catalunya Radio, as carried by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta asked Guardiola for his advice on who to appoint as their next manager, amid a variety of options, none of which seem to throw up a clear candidate.

The club often consult former players and coaches when making managerial decisions and president Joan Laporta recently revealed he had asked Guardiola for advice.

German coaches Thomas Tuchel, Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann have been posited as Laporta’s preferences so far, while Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi is the other name to have been linked closely with the position.

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Pep reportedly told Laporta that he should appoint de Zerbi, who he has long been an admirer of, and has praised effusively in the past.

This will mean little without the approval of de Zerbi himself. Barcelona are reportedly unwilling, or perhaps unable, to pay Brighton’s release clause for the Italian, which has been placed between €10-15m. If de Zerbi is to move to Barcelona, he will either need to negotiate a lower fee with Brighton or leave for free, but he could well have interest from Liverpool this summer too.

Roberto De Zerbi is only 44 and has seen tremendous growth in his managerial career. He managed the likes of Sassuolo in the Serie A and Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk. The Italian manager is currently managing Brighton and took them to Europe. De Zerbi is becoming one of the hottest prospects and could take this big project next summer.

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