Manchester City to secure Pep Guardiola replacement ‘at the same time’ as fresh contract renewal | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are set on securing their replacement for Pep Guardiola at the same time as agreeing a new contract with the Catalan coach.

The 53-year-old is firmly into the final months of his existing Manchester City contract, having last penned an extension to his agreement with the club midway through the eventual Treble-winning season of 2022/23.

With Txiki Begiristain’s exit from his role of sporting director at the end of the ongoing season now confirmed by the Premier League champions, questions have naturally been raised over whether his departure could be joined by that of Guardiola’s after a nine-season stay.

A number of reports have already speculated on who the Premier League champions could turn to should Pep Guardiola decide to leave the club at the end of the season, with connections already made to Sporting CP’s current head coach.

City have confirmed that Portuguese director Hugo Viana will leave his post at Sporting and take on the Director of Football position left by Begiristain next summer, and his close relationship with Ruben Amorim may work in the Etihad Stadium club’s favour.

However, a lot remains riding on whether Pep Guardiola will decide to make it 10 years in charge of Manchester City, and a new report has detailed the confidence from within the club over the decision that the Catalan coach is about to make.

That is according to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, who reveals that there is currently confidence within the Etihad Stadium that Pep Guardiola will agree to a 12-month extension of his contract.

It is further revealed that Manchester City will also secure the 53-year-old’s long-term replacement at the same time, in a similar plan and strategy that saw Guardiola arrive at the club in 2016 to replace Manuel Pellegrini.

Bayer Leverkusen’s ever-impressive and successful head coach, Xabi Alonso is said to have a ‘massive supporter’ in Pep Guardiola.

Alonso has claimed an outstanding list of honours with Bayer Leverkusen since becoming the head coach of the Bundesliga giants in October 2022, claiming a Treble of the German top-flight title, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Supercup in 2024.

There is also a sense from within some areas of the game that Xabi Alonso’s next move in his managerial career could act as a major boost to any club and their hopes of recruiting some of Leverkusen’s key stars.

Florian Wirtz is likely to become one of the hottest commodities within the game, and is believed to already be attracting transfer interest from the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona.

However, with Kevin De Bruyne moving closer towards his own City exit in the near future and his current contract running until the end of the ongoing season, the club may be starting their own contingency plans towards replacing the Belgian footballing legend.