Man City preparing for Guardiola departure

Pep Guardiola has won 17 major trophies - and 20 in all - in his 10-year spell at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City are preparing for Pep Guardiola's exit after Sunday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

Sources have told BBC Sport that the managerial great is expected to leave Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

City maintain Guardiola has a contract for next season and are hopeful he will remain as manager.

However, work towards his anticipated exit is under way at the club, with members of staff of the understanding he will leave.

It is understood members of the squad are also anticipating his departure after the final game of the season againt Villa, while the club have turned their attentions towards how best to mark the tenure of their iconic boss.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who worked under Guardiola at City, is the front-runner to replace the 55-year-old.

Guardiola has led City to 17 major trophies - and 20 in all - including six Premier League titles, the Champions League, three FA Cups and five EFL Cups during his 10 years at City.

The club's greatest boss is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, and could yet still cap his stellar spell at Etihad Stadium with a seventh Premier League title, having already won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup this season.

Speculation about the manager's future has been rife for months, with the question about his tenure at Manchester City often coming up in news conferences.

He was asked on Friday whether the following day's trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final would be his last visit there. "No way," he said, reminding reporters he had "one more year" on his contract.

And in a interview with BBC Sport before Saturday's FA Cup final, when asked if he will still be at the club next season, he replied: "Yeah."

The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added: "I am here, I have a contract."

City are the only team to reach 100 points in a Premier League season, doing so in 2017-18, when they also set the record for the most goals scored in a campaign, with 106.

In 2022-23, City became only the second English team in history, after rivals Manchester United in 1998-99, to complete the Treble - winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.

Guardiola's City later became the first team to win the English league title four seasons in a row with their triumph in the 2023-24 campaign.

The former Spain international then signed a two-year contract extension in November 2024, until the end of the 2026-27 season.

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