Pep Guardiola Set To Depart Man City And The Premier League After His Contract Expires in 2025.

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola does not expect to sign a new contract with the club when his current deal ends in 2025 and he is firmly minded to leaving the Premier League.

The manager, fresh from leading City to a historical treble win, becoming the first English club since Man United squad 24 years ago (1999), to win a domestic and continental treble.

He has all but decided that he will depart in summer 2025 and end his tenure after nine years, which means in two years, City who have not yet given up hope to make the Catalan extend his stay, will be looking for a new manager.

Guardiola wrote his name into footballing history once again when he led the Etihad club to their first-ever Champions League victory.

Having taken City to the pinnacle of the game after seven years in charge, there had been questions over his future at the club in the immediate aftermath of the 1-0 win over Italian giants Inter Milan in Istanbul.

Despite tasting Champions League glory for the first time since 2011 with Barcelona, it has been reported that Guardiola has no intentions to abandon City on such a high, as the Spaniard will see out the remaining two years on his current deal.

Speaking after the history triumph, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss told reporters;

“This Champions League already gives meaning to the five Premier Leagues that we won. But it is also true that we need to go home, disconnect more than a little and knowing all of us, when the adrenaline starts again, we will plug in again.”

 

It is unclear what the 52-year-old next move will be once he leaves City, with international football a possibility, and South American giants Brazil is one nation who have been credited with an interest.

According to the Guardian, Guardiola has shelved plans to take command of a Serie A club. It had been thought that he wanted to leave for an Italian side in order to try to complete the set of big four European leagues.

He may also be scoped into going to one of the emerging leagues, such as a Saudi Pro League or the Major League Soccer (MLS), where his Barcelona mentee Lionel Messi will play next season with Inter Miami.

“Right now I am not thinking about leaving, but who knows? But I am not thinking," Guardiola told reporters at the end of last month.

“I would like to continue here next season independent of the results. I would like it, but I don't know what I am going to feel, winning or losing the two chances we have ahead of us.

“My feeling is that I have a contract, and when I sign, I want to respect the club. I will stay next season while there are 115 breaches against us. Don't worry, we will be there.”

For the meantime, With City's Treble worth £294million in prize money, Guardiola will have significant funds at his disposal to keep the newly-crowned European champions ahead of their rivals. 

Guardiola and the City hierarchy have reportedly began working on their summer transfer strategy long before the Champions League final.

While the core of Guardiola's squad will remain intact, there will be several high-profile departures, and City is set to move swiftly to replace them to consolidate their domestic and European dominance. 

Captain Ilkay Gundogan is one who would be out of contract at the end of this month, and set to leave City after seven years to join Barcelona as a free agent, while fellow midfielder Bernardo Silva has expressed his desire for a new challenge.

City have identified Chelsea's £45million-rated midfielder Mateo Kovacic as the ideal replacement for Gundogan and are set to step up their efforts to sign him following their Treble success. 

While City have not given up hope of persuading Silva to stay, the Portugal international is determined to leave, having stayed on for this season when he was keen to go last summer.