Pep Guardiola responds to claims he could leave Man City to take shock job ahead of FFP trial

Pep Guardiola has responded to claims he could leave Manchester City for another huge club in Europe.

Guardiola, 53, has enhanced his reputation as the greatest manager of his generation with a hugely impressive spell in charge of City.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has overseen the most successful period in City's history after joining the Premier League club in 2016.

Since taking over from Manuel Pellegrini, Guardiola has won five Premier League titles and the Champions League once, in addition to two FA Cups and four League Cups.

He could win another league title and the FA Cup for a third time in the final weeks of the season, leading to speculation he may seek a new challenge soon.

Guardiola is currently contracted to City until the end of the 2024/25 season, having signed a two-year extension in 2023.

There are doubts over whether he will sign another extension with last season's Treble winners, as they await a trial over the club's 115 alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Reports earlier this month claimed City are already planning for life without Guardiola and are considering appointing Girona head coach Michel as his replacement when the Spaniard eventually leaves the Etihad.

German media outlet Kicker (via Get German Football News) has now reported that one of Guardiola's former clubs, Bayern Munich, are 'dreaming' of him returning to the club.

Bayern are set to part ways with head coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season regardless of if they win the Champions League, and the Bundesliga club are yet to announce a replacement for the German.

Guardiola has been linked with a return to Bayern Munich (Image: Getty)

Kicker claim Guardiola still owns an apartment in Munich and regularly visits the Bavarian city, fuelling speculation he could return to Bayern.

However, Guardiola's representatives have shut down the reports linking him with a move to Germany.

Speaking directly to Sky Sports in Germany (via journalist Kerry Hau), Guardiola's representatives said the manager is "very happy" in Manchester.

"Pep (Guardiola) has FC Bayern (Munich) in his heart, but he does not want to leave Manchester City this summer," their statement read.

"He is very happy (at Manchester City) and has a contract until 2025. A return to FC Bayern is not an option."

Topics: Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich, Premier League, Football, Bundesliga

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan