Pep Guardiola may be in the midst of the celebrations of Manchester City’s historic Treble, but he has seemingly set his leaving date already, as per reports.
The Catalan coach is widely-regarded as one of the best in the world, and has enjoyed overwhelming success with Manchester City since joining in the summer of 2016.
But now Guardiola appears to have ruled out staying on at the club beyond the end of his current deal, and is set to depart in 2025, according to the Guardian.
The seven years that the 52-year-old has spent at the Etihad thus far were already unexpected, with many at the club anticipating an exit at the end of his initial three-year deal.
A further extension was signed in November, tying him down to the Citizens for another two-and-a-half years, bringing his stay to a close at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Should Guardiola depart, he will leave as one of the most successful managers English football has ever seen, winning five Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, Four Carabao Cups and of course this season’s Champions League in seven years.
However, the Guardian are reporting that Guardiola is ‘firmly minded’ to leave after nine years in charge.
Having already lifted league titles in Spain and Germany with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, England has become the third of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ divisions in which he has come out on top.
If reports are to be believed and he does leave City then perhaps a move to Italy or France could follow, in a bid to complete the ‘Big Five’.
The Catalan’s future, though, is far from concrete, and the idea of coaching a national team is also believed to be an option.
The City boss is also thought to be confident that Ilkay Gundogan – his captain and first ever signing at the club – will signed a proposed contract extension.
The German midfielder’s deal is up this summer despite guiding his side to European glory and English dominance, and has been fielding heavy interest from Barcelona.
The cash-strapped LaLiga champions are thought to have offered a three-year deal at the Nou Camp, though that is yet to be accepted by the player.
City’s proposal would see him stay at the club for a further season, with an optional 12-month extension in place.
In the wake of their historic continental triumph, Gundogan was one of just three players to return to Manchester rather than jet off to Ibiza on Sunday evening, heading to dinner with Kevin de Bruyne and Stefan Ortega.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed that a large group of treble-winning City players jetted out to Ibiza for a night of partying ahead of a return back for today’s trophy parade.
Mail Sport understands that those involved – who did not include Guardiola – chartered a private jet from Manchester to the Balearic island to mark their history-making exploits in style.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
