MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton at Etihad Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola’s agent has bad news for Barcelona fans hoping the 49-year-old could leave Manchester City and return to the Camp Nou.
Maria Orobitg told Goal’s Kerry Hau that it’s “currently impossible” for Guardiola to head back to the Camp Nou and insists the coach “will stay at City 100 percent.”
Barcelona are expected to sack current boss Quique Setien imminently following the club’s disastrous 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Netherlands national team boss Ronald Koeman is the current frontrunner for the job.
Guardiola enjoyed phenomenal success as both a player and manager at Barcelona. He led the club to countless trophies, including three La Liga titles and two European Cups, playing sparkling football along the way before stepping down in 2021.
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Focus on Guardiola after Champions League Failure
Barcelona weren’t the only team to taste Champions League heartache in the quarter-finals of the competition. Guardiola’s City team also saw their hopes of lifting the European Cup for the first time ended by Ligue 1 side Lyon.
The team’s failure has brought fresh scrutiny on Guardiola who is yet to extend his contract with the Premier League team. The coach is out of contract in 2021, and there are doubts over whether he will continue.
Guardiola was asked about his future last month, after the club’s two-year Champions League ban was overturned, but gave little away about whether he will remain at Manchester City.
He explained: “Now is not the time [to talk about contracts] we have one incredible month ahead of us. I have one more year, for a manager, it is a long, long time.”
Pep To Tempt Messi to Man City
Meanwhile, speculation Lionel Messi could reunite with Guardiola at Manchester City continues to swirl in the aftermath of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Argentina international is unhappy at Barcelona and has told the club he wants to leave now, according to Esporte Interativo’s Marcelo Bechler. Manchester City are ready to pay Messi ” whatever it takes” to bring him to the Etihad Stadium, according to Simon Mullock at the Mirror.
Messi’s frustration at the club is understandable given their recent disappointments in European competition, poor planning, and failures in the transfer market. Indeed the Barcelona board may have their work cut out convincing Messi to see out the rest of his career at the Camp Nou.
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