Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reportedly plans to leave the Premier League and European champions when his contract expires in 2025.
The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona head coach finally ended years of Champions League heartache with the Citizens on Sunday, overseeing a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul.
Man City's maiden top-level European success completed a domestic and continental treble for Guardiola's side, who also won the Premier League and FA Cup in the 2022-23 season.
The Sky Blues became the first English team to clinch a trio of domestic and continental honours since Manchester United in 1999, and earlier in the campaign, Guardiola penned a new contract at the Etihad until the end of the 2024-25 season.
The 51-year-old had apparently been the subject of interest from Brazil before committing the next two years of his career to the Citizens, but according to The Guardian, he plans to step down once those terms run out.
© Reuters
The report claims that Guardiola's entourage were unsure if he would even sign his latest Man City extension, and some expected him to depart once his initial three-year deal with Man City ran out in 2019.
A stint in Italy was originally thought to appeal to Guardiola, who has already achieved success in England, Germany and Spain, but the Catalonian coach could instead try his hand at international management.
Guardiola departed Bayern after a three-year spell in 2016 to make the move to Man City, meaning that he is set to call it quits after nine trophy-laden years at the helm.
The 51-year-old has won 14 trophies during his seven seasons in charge so far - an average of two per year - including five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields and the Champions League.
Guardiola's 2017-18 team became the first-ever Premier League outfit to record 100 points in a single season, and they will also vie for Club World Cup glory next term after winning the Champions League.
© Reuters
Guardiola's 413 games in charge of Man City have yielded 305 wins, 49 draws and 59 defeats, and the Citizens have scored over 1,000 competitive goals since he touched down at the Etihad.
While Guardiola will remain in his post for another two years, the future of his captain Ilkay Gundogan remains clouded in uncertainty ahead of the expiry of his contract at the end of the month.
Arsenal and Barcelona are thought to be going head-to-head for Gundogan's signature, while clubs in Saudi Arabia are also believed to be keeping a close eye on developments.
Barcelona have reportedly offered Gundogan a three-year deal, while Man City's renewal is only for one fixed season with the option of an additional 12 months until 2025.
Gundogan revealed after the Champions League final that he was yet to make a decision on his future, but Guardiola is supposedly hopeful that the German will put pen to paper on fresh terms.