Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has once again denied a story linking him with the Manchester City job next season.
Over the weekend, BeINSPORTS reported that a “tentative agreement” had been made between City and Guardiola which would see the former Barcelona coach replace Manuel Pellegrini in Manchester.
City quickly dismissed the rumor, and now Guardiola has emphatically denounced the claim.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final return leg against Barcelona, the Bayern Munich boss was adamant that he would see out the remainder of his contract with the Bundesliga champions, which expires in June 2016.
“I’ve said 200 million times before, I have another year on my contract,” Guardiola said. “I will be here next year. There’s nothing more to say.
“Next season I will be here and that’s all there is to it.”
Back in March, it was reported that Bayern Munich had begun the process of finding Guardiola’s replacement since it was becoming increasingly unlikely the manager would renew his deal with the German club.
However a few weeks later, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that the club was eager to retain Guardiola’s services for the long term and believed an agreement could be reached with the Spanish tactician.
Now, the growing speculation is Bayern Munich are ready to sever ties with Guardiola after the club crashed out of the German Cup in the semi-finals, have lost four straight matches in all competitions and are currently on the brink of elimination from the Champions League after their 3-0 defeat to Barcelona last week.
Guardiola’s tactics, team selection and man-management were widely criticized following the loss at the Camp Nou – even during the match – and the manager’s relationship with Bayern Munich players is also reportedly at its lowest point.
However, what goes largely overlooked by the media is the fact that Guardiola has been dealing with a massive injury problem which has left his squad depleted over the past month or so.
Despite the limitations to his team, Guardiola guided the club to another Bundesliga title while steering Bayern Munich to the semi-finals of both the German Cup and Champions League.
Last week, following the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona, Guardiola said he remained confident his team would mount what many consider an impossible comeback against Barcelona in the return leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Programming note: Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona will be shown LIVE on Tuesday at 2:45pm EST on FOX Sports 1 and FoxSoccer2Go.
