Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, 53, has responded to speculation that he will leave the club at the end of next season and return to Barcelona. He said a firm “no.”
The Daily Mail, a British media outlet, published an exclusive article on March 27, saying, “Guardiola will leave next summer. ‘Pep City’s’ dominance will come to an end,” the Daily Mail reported. Guardiola, who is under contract with City until June 2025, will leave the team after next season. The club had been pushing to renew his contract early on, but Guardiola reportedly said he would leave when his current deal expires without an extension. Guardiola effectively announced his departure after next season, saying last month that he was “closer to leaving than staying” after winning a fourth straight Premier League title.
Guardiola has been in charge of City since 2016, playing 472 games and lifting 15 major trophies in that time. It is the longest he has been at the club.
With Jürgen Klopp leaving Liverpool at the end of this season, and Guardiola now confirmed to be leaving after next season, speculation is rife over his next move.
The most likely possibility is a return to Barcelona, where he won the Champions League as a player and manager.
However, Guardiola has been adamant in his stance. On Tuesday, Guardiola was asked at the Legends Trophy golf event if the door was 사설토토 closed for him to return to Barcelona, to which he replied without hesitation, “Yes, it is. It’s closed.”
He also gave some advice to the new Barcelona coach, Hanzi Flick, who recently took over from Xavi. “You have to try to get help from within,” the senior Barcelona manager said, adding, “Whenever you go to a new club, you need help. Especially at Barcelona,” he said.
“There has been a lot of talk over the years, but there hasn’t been a call from Barcelona,” Guardiola said of Bernardo Silva, who has been linked with a move away from Man City to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, “I want him to stay. He is a fundamental player for us. If you want him, you have to call him and that hasn’t happened.”