Pep Guardiola 'expected to leave' in 2025 – what Manchester City manager said on future at Sunday's parade

Pep Guardiola is 'expected to leave' Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the 2024/25 season, it has been claimed

Posted Monday, May 27, 2024 by fourfourtwo.com

Pep Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City when his current contract expires at the end of next season, it has been claimed.

Guardiola has just led City to a fourth Premier League title in a row in his eight seasons at the Eithad, narrowly missing out on two more trophies as the Sky Blues lost in the Champions League semi-finals to Real Madrid and in Saturday's FA Cup final to Manchester United.

And according to The Daily Mail, the 2024/25 campaign will be Guardiola's last at City, with the Catalan not prepared to sign another contract with last season's treble winners.

Guardiola has led City to an array of silverware in his eight years in charge at the Etihad, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and a Champions League crown.

Despite City's FA Cup final defeat to United on Saturday, Guardiola was content at the club's parade on Sunday to celebrate their latest Premier League triumph.

"We are happy, it's a big achievement, that's why we are here again," he said in front of thousands of fans in the centre of Manchester.

"Even myself I couldn’t expect to stay here eight years but everything goes well. Step by step we are here and it looks like a routine [these parades] but it's not a routine."

Asked if he could just stay forever, the former Barcelona coach was taken aback by the question, and did not really answer it as he said: "We will be back next season. The FA Cup, we will take it."

That brought big cheers from the fans and midfielder Phil Foden added: "It's been a special season. Nobody has done it before. It's an unbelievable season. It's the hunger inside me. We've got great players, we want to win more next season."

In FourFourTwo's view, Guardiola may feel he has nothing else to achieve now at City. And like outgoing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, he is probably tired. If he can find the motivation to stay and build again, he may extend his time in Manchester, but he certainly looks more likely to leave in 2025 at this point. Whatever he does do, though, his tenure at City has been unbelievable – and he will go down as the club's greatest-ever manager. Perhaps even the best that English football has seen.