Pep Guardiola formally approached by club executives over Manchester City future plans | OneFootball

Manchester City officials have formally asked head coach Pep Guardiola if he will see out the final year of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium, as per a new report.

Guardiola is contracted at City till the end of the 2026-27 campaign after signing a two-and-a-half year deal in November 2024, midway through a season the Catalan deemed his most challenging period in management.

The 55-year-old has overseen a major remake of Manchester City’s first-team ranks orchestrated by director of football Hugo Viana in the last 12 months, with the Blues set for another busy transfer window this summer.

Traditionally reliable quarters of the English press has cited a growing belief in Premier League circles since the turn of the year that Guardiola is increasingly likely to part ways with Manchester City at the end of this season, with Enzo Maresca leading the list of possible replacements for the former Barcelona manager.

Is Guardiola expected to leave Man City this summer?

Guardiola has been probed on his future at the Etihad Stadium many a time in press conferences since January 1 – the day when his former City assistant, Maresca, was relieved of his duties as Chelsea head coach.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Maresca is reported to have held preliminary discussions with the Manchester City hierarchy over replacing Guardiola when the six-time Premier League winner calls it a day in the north-west.

There is also a growing belief among Etihad Stadium officials that Guardiola is highly unlikely to extend his Manchester City tenure beyond 2027 – and that the Blues will bid farewell to their greatest-ever manager next summer, if not at the end of the current campaign.

However, amidst all the noise and speculation over his future, Guardiola has publicly maintained that he is under contract and is excited by the prospect of progressing Manchester City’s rebuild with a talented, hungry crop of players.

Report: City officials ask for formal Guardiola future decision

As Guardiola and his players prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool, talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs has reported that Manchester City officials have showed their hand by formally approaching Guardiola over whether he intends to see out the final year of his contract.

The report states that City executives, led by Viana, are planning for all possible outcomes and would like clarity on Guardiola’s plans for the 2026-27 campaign as they navigate the business end of a transitional season.

Manchester City are said to be relaxed over Guardiola’s future as there remain ‘contingency plans’ in the event that the 55-year-old informs the club that he would like to leave this summer.

City are understood to have formed an early stage five-candidate shortlist of potential replacements for Guardiola, who overhauled his coaching staff last summer and will want to leave his beloved Blues on a high whenever he does depart.