**There is a growing belief around the club that Pep Guardiola could be leaving Manchester City at the end of the current season, as per a new report.**
Guardiola signed a two-year deal at the Etihad Stadium last fall that will keep him at the club till the end of the 2026-27 season, which should he then choose to leave would round off an incredible 11-year stay in Manchester for the 54-year-old.
The Catalan has widely spoken of taking a break from management when he calls it a day at Manchester City, whom he joined in 2016 and has since led to six Premier League titles, a maiden UEFA Champions League crown amongst a plethora of silverware.
City are two points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal ahead of Christmas and will be aiming to improve on their Round of 16 finish in the UEFA Champions League from the 2024-25 season – having taken a major step towards the knockout stages of the competition after coming from behind to beat Real Madrid in Spain last week.
Several reports in recent months have attested to a growing belief in and around the Etihad Stadium that this could be Guardiola’s last season at Manchester City, who are still awaiting a final verdict on their alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules between 2009-18.
However, [David Ornstein of The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6896778/2025/12/18/pep-guardiola-man-city-enzo-maresca/) has now provided a reliable confirmation of the aforementioned view, reporting that there is a growing belief among well-placed sources outside the club that Guardiola could step down as Manchester City manager next summer.
Furthermore, Chelsea first-team manager Enzo Maresca has been identified as a strong contender to replace Guardiola at the hotseat in the blue half of Manchester, having previously coached City’s U21 side and worked as Guardiola’s assistant since 2022 – following a year working in Italy.
Maresca is under contract in west London till the end of the 2028-29 season, having recently changed representation to work with super agent Jorge Mendes as he maps his managerial career after an eye-catching beginning at Chelsea, where he is working with a strong Manchester City academy contingent.
A firm decision on Guardiola’s future is set to be made towards the end of the season but Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana, who replaced Txiki Begiristain in the summer, is planning for life beyond the Catalan should he decide the summer of 2026 is when he would want to step down.
City ushered in a new era under Guardiola this summer when the club allowed several senior stars to leave and made seven new signings to challenge for major trophies in the seasons to come, with Viana ready to back Guardiola in the January market amid strong interest in Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.
Guardiola has previously spoken of the length of time he has spent in Manchester surprising him as he paid homage to the backing and support he has felt by Etihad Stadium officials during challenging times, especially in Europe, in his early seasons in England.
Should this be the 54-year-old’s final season in Manchester, his players will want to repay their manager for his efforts by pipping Arsenal to a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, as well as staking a solid claim for a second UEFA Champions League crown.