Chelsea has secured £17.2 million, roughly €20 million, from Manchester City as compensation for the appointment of Enzo Maresca as the club’s new manager.

Maresca departed Chelsea on January 1, 2026, with approximately 3.5 years still remaining on his contract.

How the deal came together

Manchester City tapped Maresca as the successor to Pep Guardiola, whose decade-long reign at the Etihad Stadium had finally concluded.

Intensive negotiations between the two clubs began in early June 2026, with lawyers from both sides hammering out the terms. The discussions reportedly made substantial progress quickly, in part because Maresca was already contributing to Manchester City’s summer transfer planning even as the compensation figure remained unresolved.

Previous estimates had suggested the compensation might exceed £10 million. The final number landed at Chelsea’s headline demand of £17.2 million.

The financial merry-go-round of managerial moves

Chelsea essentially turned a profit on the entire Maresca transaction. When the club hired Maresca from Leicester City in 2024, it paid roughly £8 million in compensation to the Foxes. Now, just two years later, Chelsea is collecting more than double that amount from Manchester City. That £9.2 million difference represents a tidy return on a managerial appointment.

The agreement effectively resolves any claims Chelsea might have pursued regarding an improper approach or breach of contract related to Maresca’s move to City. The negotiations focused on reaching a mutual agreement on compensation without escalating the situation to Premier League intervention or formal litigation.