Guardiola set for talks with Manchester City chairman over his summer exit
On the same weekend Arsenal sealed the Premier League title, Pep Guardiola told reporters he would sit down face-to-face with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak to formalise his decision on the future. According to remarks reported by ESPN, the Catalan said the conversation would happen "over a coffee" and that any announcement would only follow.
Guardiola noted that speculation about his 2026-27 plans has carried for months without him addressing it head-on. After Bournemouth's 1-1 draw with City handed the title to Arsenal, his tone was crisper: "When I speak with Khaldoon, the directors will know first. Then it will be public."
Since his arrival in 2016, Guardiola has won six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one Champions League and one Club World Cup with City. A departure this summer would close a nine-year tenure that would stand as the longest and most decorated post-Ferguson reign of any Premier League manager.
Club sources tell ESPN that Guardiola has been telling his inner circle since mid-season that he is "tired of preparing the next cycle." The squad's chronic central-defensive injuries during the last three months — Rúben Dias and John Stones unable to feature together in 22 matches — repeatedly disrupted the manager's plans.
The question of his successor crystallises around one name in ESPN's reporting: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. The Italian, a former Guardiola assistant, is regarded as deeply versed in City's playing philosophy. Maresca's contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2027, but talks between clubs are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, in a season-opening interview with an Abu Dhabi sports investor, stressed that Guardiola's contract runs until 2027 and that "his decision is our only reference point." That framing suggests the chairman will position any departure as a mutual understanding — not a financial settlement or contract dispute. The only variable, in effect, is the manager's own intention.
A national-team role is the most-discussed next chapter. Spain's federation president Rafael Louzán, on a radio appearance last month, dropped a heavy hint: "Having a manager like Guardiola in charge of Spain would always be a source of pride." The Brazilian football confederation is also planning a rebuild after 2026.
Manchester City's structural questions extend beyond the manager. UEFA's financial sustainability review continues, and the Premier League's 115-charge investigation has been undecided for three years. Whoever inherits the dugout will be working not only within a new playing structure, but inside the uncertainty those legal questions create.
Supporters' groups have framed Guardiola's possible exit as the end of an era. Petitions circulating around the Etihad call for a permanent statue of the Catalan; the club's board, meanwhile, is said to be already planning an end-of-season ceremony.
Guardiola, in his last press conference, said: "In life, everything begins with a sentence and ends with one." The coming weeks will write the closing line on his nine years at City — and the focus will then shift to what comes after.