Brazil football governing body (CBF) are set to launch a bid to entice Pep Guardiola into becoming their new head coach, the Mirror reports.
The five-time World Cup champions are searching for a successor to Tite after the 61-year-old stepped down following their shock quarter-final exit in Qatar.
The Selecao were knocked out in dramatic fashion on Friday by underdogs Croatia, who won a tense penalty shootout to set up a semi-final clash with Lionel Messi ‘s Argentina.
For Brazil, however, they exited over the weekend with Tite stepping down after been in charge for more than six years.
And according to Sport, the CBF have wasted no time in identifying their top target to replace Tite, as president Ednaldo Rodrigues will contact Guardiola less than a month after he signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City.
Brazil know that Guardiola has previously expressed his desire to coach their national team, having never forayed into the international game during his esteemed coaching career.
And although the Catalan tactician recently committed his future to City, the bigwigs at the CBF are keen to hold talks.
That’s because while it’s unlikely they’ll be able to convince the Guardiola to quit his role at the Etihad any time soon, they still want to know his medium and long-term plans.
The 51-year-old’s new deal keeps him in Manchester until the summer of 2025, 12 months before the next World Cup begins.
And with Brazil having no competitive matches until the second half of 2023, the CBF are in no rush to appoint Tite’s successor. Selecao legend Ronaldo even believes that his nation made an attempt to tee up Guardiola’s services before the World Cup in Qatar.
As quoted by Catalan media, Ronaldo claimed: “There was interest in Guardiola, it was discussed with Guardiola’s coaching staff, but he preferred to renew the contract with Manchester City. It might be difficult for the CBF to reach an agreement, he is the highest-paid coach in the world.”
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