Pep Guardiola is tied to a contract at Manchester City through to 2023, but Claudio Ranieri has claimed that the Catalan will "sooner or later come to coach in Italy".
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has always embraced fresh starts and new challenges, with a trend of short stints in any one coaching post being bucked in England.
Ex-Chelsea and Leicester manager Ranieri believes a desire to seek out something different will eventually lead one of the best in the business to Serie A, with it only a matter of time before Guardiola looks to find another suitor.
What has been said?
Ranieri has been discussing the lack of success enjoyed by Italian teams in Europe over recent seasons with Gazzetta dello Sport, saying of hope for the future: "We will be back, because I see signs of growth that cannot be obscured by the premature elimination of Italian teams.
"A Serie A that sees the return of [Jose] Mourinho, of [Massimiliano] Allegri and perhaps also [Maurizio] Sarri, will certainly increase the visibility of our entire movement.
"Too bad for [Antonio] Conte, who has left Inter, but I’m convinced Guardiola will sooner or later come to coach in Italy too.
"There’s one thing we must do as soon as possible, however. We must increase the pace of the game. If we don’t do it, it’s difficult to be competitive."
Will Guardiola stick around at City?
Questions were asked of the 50-year-old's future at City before he eventually committed to a new deal in November 2020.
He claims to still have plenty to achieve at the Etihad Stadium despite overseeing three Premier League title triumphs in four years.
Four Carabao Cup successes have also been taken in, along with an FA Cup win, but Champions League glory has proved elusive.
City made it to the final in 2021 but suffered a 1-0 defeat to domestic rivals Chelsea, meaning that Guardiola's wait for a third continental crown is set to stretch beyond the 10-year mark.
He is determined to scratch that itch in Manchester, meaning that Serie A will have to wait a little longer before looking to welcome another decorated coach into its ranks.
Further reading
- Kane in, Sterling out? How Man City and Guardiola can move on
- 'Guardiola stole the Champions League from the fans'
- Belgium boosted by De Bruyne surgery decision