Pep Guardiola has been widely tipped to leave Manchester City next summer (Image: GETTY)
Pep Guardiola's future is currently a topic of speculation with rumours suggesting that next season could be his last at Manchester City. The Spaniard has one year left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and is yet to agree an extension, with an exit in the summer of 2025 looking like a real possibility.
Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term future at City after they sealed a fourth straight Premier League title on the final day of the season. Speaking amid the celebrations, he admitted that he was 'closer to leaving than staying' and suggested that he was lacking motivation to prepare for another campaign at the helm.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has managed City for eight years and it has been suggested that he could seek a new challenge when his current deal runs out. It remains to be seen where Guardiola would go, but it seems likely that he would not consider joining another Premier League club after moving on from City.
The Spaniard is only tied down to City until the end of the 2024/25 campaign (Image: GETTY)
According to ESPN, the 53-year-old is unlikely to accept another job in club management but would be eager to take charge of a national team at a major tournament. The next World Cup is scheduled to take place in the United States in 2026, which could give Guardiola the perfect opportunity to realise his dream of being involved in football's showpiece event.
He expressed his desire to manage a team at a World Cup earlier this year, having never taken charge of a national side since moving into coaching in 2007. Asked if there was anything else he wanted to achieve in football before retiring, he said: "A national team. I would like to train a national team for a World Cup or a European Championship.
"I would like that. I don't know who would want me. To work for a national team they have to want you, just like a club. I would like to have the experience of living through a World Cup, or a Euro, or a Copa America, or whatever it is. I would like that. I don't know when that would be if that is five, 10, 15 years from now."
Guardiola has been tentatively linked with the England job over the years and it seems likely that Gareth Southgate could leave his post when his contract expires at the end of 2024. The City boss has also been mentioned in connection with Brazil in the past, but only time will tell if those opportunities will present themselves in the near future.
It is said that Guardiola is leaning towards the idea of leaving City after leading them into the expanded Club World Cup in 2025. They are reportedly expecting him to honour the final year of his contract but there is an acceptance that he could decide to step down rather than sign an extension to his current deal.
City would reportedly like Guardiola to inform them of his final decision by Christmas to give them plenty of time to find a successor. Those in power at the Etihad Stadium are said to be aware of how big a task it will be to replace him and want as much time as possible to lead a thorough recruitment process.
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