After a decade with Manchester City , legendary manager Pep Guardiola is expected to announce his intention to step aside on Sunday, when they are set to play their final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa .
The Spaniard has been linked with a summer departure from the Etihad for some time, with just one season left on the two-year extension he signed back in 2024.
The 55-year-old's departure will mark the end of a decade of dominance on the blue side of Manchester, during which he has led them to 20 titles, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a UEFA Champions League, and a FIFA Club World Cup, among others.
Guardiola has long been linked with a summer exit -Credit:Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Guardiola could yet add another league title to his trophy cabinet before his impending exit, although that depends entirely on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal , which essentially holds their own fate in their hands at the top of the table as the season comes to a close.
Exactly when on Sunday he will make his decision to leave the club he has sculpted into one of the world's biggest remains unclear, according to the Daily Mail .
The report added that the team has already informed sponsors of Guardiola's decision, with those within his inner circle also already in the know.
City are expected to conclude their season on Monday with an open-top bus parade, bringing with them - along with potentially another league title - the third FA Cup trophy won during Guardiola's reign on Saturday, beating Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.
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Before then, City is set to travel to AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, where Guardiola is likely to face a litany of questions regarding his future.
Should Guardiola opt to take a break from the beautiful game, it would not be the first time he has done so. Following four seasons dominating in La Liga with Barcelona , where he won three league titles and two Champions Leagues, Guardiola took a year-long sabbatical before returning to the sidelines with Bayern Munich .
There he picked up right where he left off, winning three consecutive Bundesliga titles and two German Cups before making the move to City in 2016.
Now the longest-serving active Premier League manager, Guardiola will prove a near impossible act to follow, although his former protege Enzo Maresca has long been touted as his eventual successor.
Maresca spent two separate stints as a member of the City coaching staff before taking over Leicester City, where he won the Championship title in 2024 in just his first season at the helm, before taking on the Chelsea job.
A somewhat poisoned chalice in recent years under the ownership of BlueCo, Maresca was let go in January after a year and a half in charge, during which he won the Conference League and Club World Cup.
