Pep Guardiola to quit Man City as announcement imminent and replacement eyed | Football | Sport
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will reportedly step down from his managerial position at the end of the season. The 55-year-old will bring the curtain down on a ten-year spell at the Etihad Stadium after Sunday’s season finale against Aston Villa.
The Daily Mail claims City have started to tell sponsorship partners that a decision is ‘imminent.’ The news is said to have been an ‘open secret’ to those close to Guardiola for some time.
Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompay have both been linked with the role in recent weeks. However, it’s understood that former Blues boss, Maresca, is the overwhelming favourite having worked under Guardiola at City earlier on in their career.
The report claims the announcement will take place on Sunday in time for Guardiola’s City tenure to be celebrated at the club’s open-top bus parade. His future at the club has been a talking point all season, but Guardiola has repeatedly cited his current contract, which runs out in the summer of 2027.
However, it’s believed he’ll bring an end to his spell in charge of the club a year early, though could stay at the club in some capacity.
Last weekend’s FA Cup win over Chelsea took Guardiola’s trophy tally up to 20 during his time at the club. That could rise to 21 if City are to win the Premier League title at the end of the current campaign.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles since arriving at Manchester City in 2016, including an unprecedented four in a row, and lead City to their first ever Champions League title. Maresca was part of Guardiola’s coaching team from 2022 to 2023 before taking charge at Championship club Leicester City, then moving on to Chelsea after winning promotion with the Foxes.
The Italian head coach would win the Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025, before leaving Stamford Bridge at the start of 2026 after reportedly holding talks with City about replacing Guardiola.
