Manchester City fans may have been issued with a major hint from Pep Guardiola himself over a possible contract extension at the Etihad Stadium.
The 53-year-old is entering into his final year of contract at Manchester City and is expected to be subject to charm offensives and intense pursuits of an extended deal from those in decision-making positions at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola recently attended a visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this summer, presenting Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour with the club’s record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title, joined by a number of the organisation’s hierarchy.
Some have already predicted that the meeting in the Middle-East will have no doubt included conversations over his initial feeling towards his Etihad Stadium future, however no conclusions are expected to be made for another number of months.
But while official confirmation of a decision is not expected any time soon, there have been fresh indications towards where the Manchester City manager may be stood on his contractual future with the club.
Speaking this week at a Puma block party near New York’s Rockefeller Centre, as relayed by MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Pep Guardiola offered a major hint towards a potential Manchester City contract extension in the coming months.
“If you love what you do, why should I stop?” the Manchester City manager told reporters and all those in attendance in the centre of New York City. “I like it – as much (now as when) they hired me (in 2016) – so let’s go.”
Amid ongoing uncertainty over the Manchester City manager’s future, Pep Guardiola has recently been linked to the vacant England national team job, in light of Gareth Southgate’s resignation following their 2024 European Championship final defeat to Spain.
The City coach has often expressed a desire to manage a national team at a major tournament following his career in club football, but it remains to be seen whether the availability at Wembley Stadium has come too early for the Catalan.
During the club’s end-of-season interview with their chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak explained on Pep Guardiola’s future, “This decision is always a decision that we will take together, and I have no doubt that we will find, as always, as always we have done, the right solution that works for Pep and works for us.
“It’s hard to put into words what Pep has given this club. You can look at just records for history’s sake, and there I think he’s racked up every record almost in the book and these are records that I think will be very, very hard, in the future to break.”
Manchester City return to media duties and match action this week as they take on AC Milan in New York City’s iconic Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, before meeting with FC Barcelona and Chelsea in their remaining two friendly matches.