Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is set to leave the Premier League side after this season.
The Spaniard refused to discuss his future after the draw against AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, a result which meant Manchester City lost the title to Arsenal.
Several claims in the UK and Spain insist Guardiola’s time at the Etihad will soon come to an end.
Whilst there’s no official announcement from the manager or Manchester City, there’s been multiple reports on who could replace Guardiola.
Reports indicate Enzo Maresca is the favourite for the Etihad job. Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany is also a contender.
The Belgian had a long and successful career at Manchester City and was captain under Guardiola. He spent 11 years in England and returned to Anderlecht in 2019.
A year later, Kompany became their manager and left for Burnley in 2022. The Bavarian club appointed him as their manager in 2024 and he’s won the Bundesliga twice so far.
Last October, the 40-year-old signed a contract extension until 2029. At that time, Sport Witness covered claims from Germany that this was done to prevent Manchester City from snatching him at some point.
Kompany’s Manchester City connection
The manager’s past connection makes him a possible candidate to replace Pep Guardiola.
This week’s edition of SportBild has a detailed interview with Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer.
SportBild were curious to find out from Hainer whether his side extended Vincent Kompany’s contract in October to prevent Manchester City from launching an attack.
Responding to that, he said: “Our motivation for the extension wasn’t to get ahead of Manchester City. We extended his contract because he’s doing an outstanding job and because we simply wanted him to stay with us longer.
“Perhaps he’ll coach Manchester City someday, since he played there before. His successful work generally attracts the attention of top clubs. He’s young and has many years of coaching ahead of him. But he and his family feel very comfortable in Munich.”
Bayern Munich rule out Kompany sale
When asked whether he can imagine Manchester City knocking on the door for Kompany, Herbert Hainer explained: “They’re welcome to (laughs). With players, it’s often said: not for sale. And there’s no transfer fee for Kompany; he’s not for sale.”
“Vincent has a contract until 2029, which gives us security, and hopefully he’ll stay much, much longer. He made a name for himself here with us.”
That rules out the possibility of Kompany leaving Bayern Munich in the coming weeks.