Chelsea say that Enzo Maresca will pay them compensation now he has been confirmed as Manchester City‘s new head coach.

Former Blues manager Maresca, 46, has signed a three-year deal at City and succeeds Pep Guardiola, who stepped down in May after a trophy-laden 10 years in charge.

The appointment was held up by talks between Chelsea and City over a compensation package, featuring an undisclosed fee for the Italian. One source has told BBC Sport that Manchester City are paying Chelsea about £17m.

That compensation package is separate to the one the Blues say they have agreed with Maresca and BBC Sport is yet to verify the details.

The Italian left Chelsea in January, following a run of one win in seven Premier League matches.

Chelsea‘s statement at the time suggested the decision was mutual, and that both Maresca and the board were in agreement that “a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track”.

However, Maresca has now confirmed that he handed in his resignation at Stamford Bridge and acknowledged that it “opened a path” for him to join City.

In a statement, Chelsea, who described Maresca’s resignation as a “decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities”, said they have reached a confidential agreement with the Italian over compensation due to be paid to the club.

Maresca, who spent a season as Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City during the 2022-23 Treble-winning season, has apologised to Chelsea for the manner in which he left the club.

“The decision was only mine,” Maresca wrote on Instagram.

“I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish.”

Everyone at Chelsea respects the quality of Maresca’s management, but his departure ultimately ended in fraught circumstances.

His decision to resign, which he has now admitted “opened a path” for him to join Manchester City, proved damaging to Chelsea‘s season. It contributed to a chaotic campaign in which they finished 10th, sacked another manager and cost the club millions in lost television revenue.

It led to a prolonged legal dispute that has only recently been resolved, allowing all parties to draw a line under the matter.

For Chelsea, Maresca’s first season will still be remembered as their most successful under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. They qualified for the Champions League for the only time in four years since acquiring the club from Roman Abramovich, and won their first silverware in the Club World Cup and the Conference League.

City, meanwhile, have secured Chelsea‘s highest regarded manager since Thomas Tuchel, one who also has the backing of Pep Guardiola, having previously served as his assistant during a Treble-winning campaign.

August 2020: Hired by Manchester City as manager of their Elite Development Squad, won Premier League 2 title

May 2021: Joins Parma in Serie B as manager but sacked in November after winning just four of his 14 games in charge

July 2022: Rejoins Man City as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola and plays a key role in their Treble-winning 2022-2023 season

June 2023: Appointed manager of Championship side Leicester City

June 2024: Wins Championship title before joining Chelsea as head coach on a five-year deal

July 2025: Ends first season having qualified for Champions League, winning the Conference League and Club World Cup

Autumn 2025: Maresca tells Chelsea of Man City’s interest after being approached by former club

December 2025: Described the build-up to his side’s victory over Everton as “the worst 48 hours” since he arrived at the club “because people didn’t support me and the team”, but does not elaborate further

January 2026: Leaves Chelsea with the club fifth in the Premier League

May 2026: Guardiola announces he is to leave City after decade in charge

May 2026: Chelsea end season in 10th and miss out on European football having sacked Maresca’s replacement Liam Rosenior after just 23 games in charge

June 2026: Appointed Man City boss after compensation package, featuring an undisclosed fee for the Italian, was agreed

Chelsea‘s statement about the departure of Enzo Maresca is full of frustration being released. It feels like the club have been waiting to give their side of the story ever since his resignation in January.

It does not pull any punches on a personal level, and it directly blames the coach’s sudden exit for the horrible season that Chelsea just endured. But is that a fair assessment?

There’s no denying it was hugely disruptive, and that the team got significantly worse once he left. The revelation that he had told Chelsea in the autumn that he was considering leaving also explains why things had started to fall apart long before his actual resignation.

The fundamental problems with the squad construction and club strategy were not Maresca’s fault, but Chelsea do have a point in that his actions massively exacerbated them.

However, the sporting directors who chose to appoint Maresca, who never felt truly committed, and then made an even bigger mistake appointing Liam Rosenior to succeed him, are just as much at fault.