Enzo Maresca is free to sign for any club this summer after resigning from Chelsea, talkSPORT understands.With a growing expectation Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City, Maresca is the clear front-runner to replace him and several well-placed sources have indicated high-level talks between the Italian and City have already taken place.GettyCity have held talks with Maresca, who is free to join any club this summer[/caption]talkSPORT can reveal the terms of Maresca’s exit package from Stamford Bridge are complicated, yet Chelsea cannot delay or block the 46-year-old starting a new role having accepted his resignation.Maresca is understood to still have contractual obligations to Chelsea and should he return to work this summer the parties would need to come to an agreement.Yet any potential compensation to Chelsea will be finalised between the Blues and Maresca, not paid by City or any other club.This means Maresca is free to take a new job, even if he fails to resolve a parting settlement with Chelsea before signing.Maresca’s Chelsea exitChelsea believe they are entitled to a payment from Maresca when he gets a new job, but the specifics, including any amount paid, are up for legal interpretation from both parties.Maresca left Chelsea on New Year’s Day in a parting of ways officially billed as by ‘mutual consent’, but it was the Italian who decided to exit mid-season.“The change wasn’t the club’s decision for reasons I can’t speak about legally,” confirmed Chelsea majority owner Behdad Eghbali at the CAA World Congress of Sports conference last week.“I think the reasons will become kind of clear in due course. But no, it’s not a change we wanted to make.“It’s a change that’s had a bit of a negative impact on the season, when you’re changing systems and personnel. And it’s one we’ve got to fight out our way out of.”Maresca is now understood to be optimistic on finding work this summer with a return to City likely if Guardiola decides to call time on his trophy-laden tenure.Maresca could succeed Guardiola at City after resigning as Chelsea boss in JanuaryGettyGuardiola is known for making relatively late decisions, and although City will allow him to decide his future on his own terms, a succession plan is already in place, led by sporting director Hugo Viana.Guardiola will leave either this summer or a year later when his contract expires.Chelsea sources say City made multiple approaches when Maresca was still at Chelsea, and there was a contractual obligation to declare this at the time.Maresca also informed Chelsea when Juventus made a similar enquiry.He also raised the prospect of extending his contract at Stamford Bridge during the same discussions but it is not thought a potential renewal ever advanced.City’s official position is simply Guardiola is contracted until 2027.Guardiola could leave City this summer, with a year remaining on his contractGettyYet Maresca is now watching the run in to the end of the Premier League season closely and if Guardiola does depart this summer, with several industry insiders believing that’s the direction of travel, Maresca appears well-positioned to return to the Etihad Stadium to replace his mentor.