MANCHESTER CITY chiefs are desperate to agree a new deal with Pep Guardiola – but are making plans in case he decides to move on.
The Spaniard is in his fifth season at the Etihad, longer than he spent at Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
Rumours have been circulating over Pep Guardiola’s futureCredit: EPA
Guardiola, 49, has entered the final year of his City contract.
And there have been murmurings that this could be his final year at the club, having lost the Premier League title to Liverpool last season.
City’s chief operating officer, Omar Berrada, however, is determined to keep Guardiola at the club.
He said: “It speaks as to how far the club has come that Pep has done his longest managerial tenure with us.
“That means that he is happy being here. He is comfortable here. Pep is the best manager in the world and we want him to stay.
“We will have a conversation with him at the right time and hope he does extend his stay because his contribution has been enormous and will be long-lasting.
“Those conversations will happen at the right time but our position is very clear: we do want him to stay.
“If there was a sense that we would need to start planning for succession, then we will do so, but our priority is doing what we can and speaking to him to make sure he feels comfortable and that all the circumstances are right for him to continue.”
Guardiola enjoys a good relationship with club chiefs Ferran Soriano, left, and Txiki Begiristain, rightCredit: AFP or licensors
Berrada believes that Guardiola’s relationship with City chiefs including Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano could help convince him to stay in the North West.
He continued: “It was important for us to have a successful transfer window, which we’ve had – a lot of good decisions on the squad, the players and the competitiveness, so I think it is important for Pep and Txiki to address that [the manager’s future] when it is the right time.
“Our priority is Pep staying so if it requires a bit of time, it requires a bit of time, but we want him to stay.
“There’s an element of being prepared [to make a decision] but at the same time he has demonstrated enough and in terms of his performances as a manager and the team he has shown enough commitment, and we have also shown commitment to him.
“There’s a lot of trust in that relationship – with the chairman [Khaldoon al-Mubarak], with Txiki, with Ferran, Pep and his coaching staff – and when you have that level of trust in the relationship the conversations are much easier.
“I think we’ll be fine throughout this process. Those conversations will happen at the right time.”
Pep Guardiola could be reunited with Lionel MessiCredit: Reuters
The duo worked together between 2008 and 2012Credit: AFP or licensors
Another factor that could persuade Guardiola to stick around is the future of Lionel Messi, with the possibility mooted that City could reunite the Argentine, 33, with his best ever manager.
In interviews with The Athletic and the MEN, Berrada didn’t shy away from the links with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
He said: “I can’t tell you how close it came more than what everybody saw in the media, in terms of Messi publicly stating his position.
If he leaves Barcelona and should Messi become something that can be discussed, then we could potentially explore that option
Omar Berrada
“Had it become a real possibility, we would have considered it. He is clearly the best player in the world so I think any club would love to have Messi in the team, but it didn’t happen.
“It was interesting to see all the speculation about him wanting to come to Manchester City. That is a testament to how far this club has come, the strong squad we have now and the top players in the world wanting to come and play for Pep and be a part of this team.
“We will see if it ever becomes a possibility. If he leaves Barcelona and should Messi become something that can be discussed, then we could potentially explore that option.”
Pep Guardiola told by Richard Keys to bring in Sam Allardyce to sort out Man City defence after 1-1 draw vs Leeds
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
