It has been revealed that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has attempted six times to hire Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola’s Manchester City meet Chelsea in the FA Cup semi finals tomorrow at Wembley.
The Athletic reports the Russian has followed Guardiola’s progress ever since he emerged as a world-class manager at Barcelona, where he won 14 trophies in a glittering four-year spell.
Chelsea first attempted Guardiola back in 2010, when Carlo Ancelotti was struggling as manager. They revisited their interest for a second time a few months later once they had given the Italian’s exit the green light.
A third approach is believed to have been made when Andre Villas-Boas’ short tenure came to an end in early 2012, but again the club had no luck in persuading the Spaniard to leave Barcelona.
Chelsea made a fourth approach ahead of the new 2012/13 campaign, with Abramovich keen to tempt him to the Premier League side, who had just won the Champions League under Roberto Di Matteo.
Di Matteo’s European triumph saw him handed an extended stay. After he was sacked in November 2012 and the pressure increased on interim boss Rafa Benitez, Guardiola was approached for the fifth time.
A sixth and final attempt was made following Jose Mourinho’s sacking by Chelsea for a second time in December in 2015, with an attempt to hire Guardiola in the summer of 2016.