Chelsea reportedly have enough evidence to report Manchester City to the Premier League over an alleged illegal approach to Enzo Maresca.
Maresca departed Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day with three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, having not claimed severance upon his resignation, meaning Chelsea retained the right to pursue compensation from City for his services.
The dispute between the two clubs has been ongoing since May, with lawyers at both clubs initially handling negotiations before senior executives at Chelsea and Manchester City became involved.
The dispute stems from Maresca resigning from Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day without claiming severance, leaving Chelsea to demand financial compensation from City since his original contract ran until 2029.
Chelsea hold back from legal action despite evidence
Despite having sufficient grounds to escalate the matter, Chelsea have no plans to report Manchester City to the Premier League. Instead, the club have opted to pursue a quieter route, continuing to negotiate directly with City for a substantial financial settlement.
Those at Stamford Bridge are said to have a good relationship with their City counterparts and have confidence an amicable agreement can be reached, with a settlement worth more than £10 million to Chelsea thought to be the likely outcome.
Chelsea’s decision to avoid a formal complaint suggests the club is prioritising a swift financial resolution over a potentially lengthy and damaging dispute through football’s governing body.
The tweet of Chelsea withholding legal action against Man City is below
🚨 Manchester City are now close to a financial settlement with Chelsea to appoint Enzo Maresca as their new Head Coach.
Chelsea have sufficient evidence to report Manchester City to the Premier League for making an illegal approach to Maresca, but have no plans to do so and are… pic.twitter.com/NMnME9VoVn
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 20, 2026
Talks continue between Chelsea and Man City
The discussions have moved from club executives into legal territory, with both sides needing to agree a settlement ahead of any formal announcement.
The focus includes not only compensation, but also the timing of the appointment, the structure of Maresca’s backroom staff, and the fine print defining his role at the Etihad.
Maresca remains on course to be confirmed as Manchester City’s next manager, with compensation discussions with Chelsea continuing to represent the only outstanding obstacle standing in the way of a formal announcement.
Maresca has already agreed to a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola, who will formally take charge of Manchester City for the final time this Sunday before a planned transition period ahead of the new season opening on August 23, 2026.
Given his extensive understanding of the organisation, having previously coached the Elite Development Squad before serving as Guardiola’s first-team assistant during the 2022/23 Treble campaign, Maresca was swiftly identified as the leading choice to spearhead the post-Pep era.
Maresca is understood to have already held preliminary conversations with City’s sporting staff over plans for the upcoming transfer window, with those discussions reportedly extending into more detailed planning around specific targets.
This is a developing story involving an ongoing financial and legal dispute between two Premier League clubs, so details may change as official confirmation approaches.
