Pep Guardiola is set to leave Man City at the end of next season with Barcelona willing to ‘do everything possible’ to make him their manager, according to reports.
The Citizens won the Premier League title on Sunday by beating West Ham 3-1 in their final match of the season, meaning Arsenal’s victory over Everton did not matter.
Man City finished two points clear of Arsenal after an epic title race in which the Gunners and Liverpool pushed Guardiola’s side all the way.
Guardiola is out of contract at the end of next season and the Man City boss hinted that his time at the Premier League champions could come to an end then.
Speaking after winning a fourth consecutive title at Man City, Guardiola said: “The reality is I am closer to leaving than staying. We have talked with the club – my feeling is that I want to stay now. I will stay next season and during the season we will talk. But eight or nine years – we will see.”
And now reports in Spain claim that Guardiola will wave ‘goodbye to Manchester City’ in 2025 with Barcelona planning a ‘bridge coach’ to get them through to the end of next season.
At that point they plan to try and hire the Man City boss as he ‘will not renew his contract’ at the Etihad Stadium with Bayern Munich also linked with a move.
It is understood that ‘there is nothing that Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano can do to convince him, and he has already made his decision for a long time.’
And Barcelona president Joan Laporta ‘will do everything possible to fulfill one of his great dreams’ and bring Guardiola back to the Camp Nou for a second spell as manager.
Rafael Marquez, who is currently Barcelona B head coach, could be a ‘temporary solution’ for the Catalan giants as they wait a year for the chance to appoint Guardiola.
“Congrats to Man City for one more insane season, Pep Guardiola confirms he’s a legendary manager and this group of players, this board are really special,” Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column.
“Speaking after the game, Guardiola hinted he was closer to leaving than to staying at City. It’s not guaranteed yet, there’s one year to decide, so to make any firm predictions now would just be a guess job and I don’t like to do that.
“In general, the feeling is really for Pep to leave Man City in 2025 but again, it’s not something that he has already discussed with the club. Let’s wait and see.”
Meanwhile, there has been talk that Man City could face “expulsion” from the Premier League and one sports lawyer insists that it “wouldn’t be just hyperbole” if they were found of guilty of the alleged breaches.