Pep Guardiola is reportedly increasingly likely to sign a new contract to stay at Manchester City.
Guardiola, 53, has enjoyed a stunning tenure with City since joining in 2016, winning the Premier League in six of his eight full seasons.
The Spaniard, who previously coached Barcelona and Bayern Munich, also lifted the Champions League in 2023 and has won 18 honours in total.
There has been significant speculation surrounding his future, with Guardiola’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign – and the 53-year-old is yet to commit to a new deal.
However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Guardiola’s time at City could be extended by a further year.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly increasingly likely to sign a new contract to stay at Man City
Guardiola has enjoyed a stunning eight-and-a-half years with City, winning 18 trophies in total
The Spaniard’s deal expires at the end of the season and he is yet to sign a new contract
In a report, he claimed that is is more likely Guardiola signs a new one-year contract than anything else, before eventually departing in the summer of 2026.
Mail Sport had revealed last week how the Spaniard was viewed as the FA’s dream candidate to become England manager for the 2026 World Cup.
But, Guardiola was unable and unwilling to commit to the role, which led to Thomas Tuchel being appointed instead.
Guardiola is renowned for leaving his contract talks late, with his previous deal being signed in November 2022, which was just over six months before it expired.
His future has been thrust into the spotlight after his long-term ally and City sporting director Txiki Begiristain revealed he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The 53-year-old admitted ‘a part of me is leaving’ when quizzed on the Begiristain news, but Ornstein went onto claim that this has been viewed at City that he is also not yet ready to close the door on staying.
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Speaking last week, Guardiola insisted that City have put him under no pressure to decide his future.
‘I want to be really, really convinced that it’s the best for the club,’ said Guardiola. ‘I will not delay an action knowing that I am creating a problem for the club.
‘If I feel there is a problem right now, I will take a decision as quickly as possible. But I don’t have that feeling because they understand the reasons that I have.’
Guardiola has agreed his last two extensions in November, while Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim and Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso are two candidates tipped to eventually take over.
The Catalan is happy to offer his input into the next boss, as he added: ‘I’m pretty sure that the club have an option when Txiki should leave and they have options when Pep will leave.
‘Sooner or later it’s going to happen and they are prepared. If they ask me my opinion, I will give my opinion.
‘But it’s not my job. The decision will be taken for them, not for me. We’ve shared unbelievable moments together. But it has to be the club. It’s the best.
‘So I would say the new sporting director, the moment I’m not here anymore, has to choose his manager.
‘Txiki leaving is a part of me leaving. The architect. He will be missed. He made me incredibly balanced in my job, because I am so energetic when I am going bad, I want to destroy everything.
‘All the time he said, “see you tomorrow, take a coffee”.’
Guardiola’s future has been thrust into the spotlight after his long-term ally and City sporting director Txiki Begiristain revealed he would be leaving the club at the end of the season
The Spaniard is the first ever manager to win four consecutive top flight titles in England
Guardiola, who has been credited with transforming English football, is the first manager to win four consecutive top flight titles in England.
In total, he has won 351 of his 484 games in charge of City at an astonishing rate of 72.52 per cent.
City currently sit second in the Premier League after eight games, while they have four points from two Champions League matches.
They face Sparta Prague on Wednesday, before entertaining Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
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