Fears Pep Guardiola's 'imminent' divorce could hurt Man City as boss' relationship with wife continues to deteriorate

PEP Guardiola's divorce is set to be finalised "imminently".

The Manchester City boss and wife Cristina Serra had hoped to keep their split friendly, but sources say there is now "more urgency" as their relationship has deteriorated.

Pep's marriage woes, reported by The Sun in January, coincided with his worst slump as a manager.

And there are fears the troubles could overshadow the start of the new season.

The Spaniard has already vowed to leave the Etihad after his contract runs out in 2027, saying he needs to "focus on myself".

Insiders said his relationship with estranged wife Cristina has moved from "friendly to cordial" amid "complicated negotiations".

They expect details to be finalised in weeks and made official as early as next month.

Respected Spanish journalists Laura Fa and Lorena Vazquez, who broke the story of their split, insisted there is no way back.

Fa said: "The signing of this divorce is going to be imminent. Evidently their relationship sentimentally has come to an end."

Vazquez said: "The relationship has ceased to be friendly and has become cordial. We're not saying there's tension between them but the break-up has moved on to another level.

"There's perhaps more urgency to set a date for the end of this relationship."

Pep, 54, and Cristina, 52, have been together for 30 years and wed in 2014.

Cristina, who runs her own fashion business, had failed to settle in Manchester and returned to Spain five years ago.

Sources said they agreed to part in December just weeks after he penned a new contract.

Cristina told friends it was the last straw.

Pep refused to give up and when news of the split broke he was seen emerging from a team hotel still wearing his wedding ring.

In March he flew to Barcelona for three days at the couple's £8.5million home.

The estranged couple even hired the same lawyer in a bid to avoid a messy courtroom battle.

Last month they joined kids Maria, 24, and Marius, 22, at the Oasis gig in Heaton Park. But there were no pictures of them together.

Influencer Maria kept her mum's presence a closely-guarded secret by posting only photos of her and Pep at the concert.