National team ‘calls’ Manchester City coach over contract uncertainty

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been advised to move to international management in Brazil after England failed to pursue him.

The Football Association made Guardiola the top target to replace Gareth Southgate, but he showed no interest in moving to the Three Lions at the time.

The 53-year-old manager has less than a year left on his contract and although Manchester City are keen to extend it, speculation over his future is growing.

Guardiola has previously stated that he has ambitions to manage an international team and has repeatedly told the press that he has not yet decided on his future in Man City.

He was linked with a job in Brazil in 2013 after leaving Barcelona and was reportedly disappointed when they decided to appoint Luiz Felipe Scolari instead. According to Athletic, The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) has called Guardiola several times this year to assess whether he is still interested in the job.

There is a feeling that he could sign a contract extension with Manchester City. The report claims Guardiola could manage the club for another year, giving him four seasons to prepare for the 2030 World Cup rather than the limited amount of time he would have had in charge of the national team ahead of 2026.

He has given little indication of what his decision will be, with his future still in doubt despite Brazil’s apparent efforts.

Guardiola’s feet are itchy

Keith Wyness believes Pep Guardiola could give Manchester City another year to allow new director Hugo Viana to settle in, but the manager has “itching feet” as he knows “new challenges await.”

With new director Viana just arriving at the club, Wyness believes Guardiola could stay for another season to ease the transition.

“Pep has been sending mixed signals lately, positive and negative,” Wyness told Football Insider. “With the arrival of Hugo Viana, I understand that he can sit out for another year.

“This gives Viana time to settle in and work on a succession plan.”

Bookmakers have already begun to speculate on who will replace Guardiola if he decides to leave Manchester City.

His assistant Michel is the bookmakers’ favorite at the moment, with Xabi Alonso, Vincent Kompany and Mikel Arteta also among the favourites.

Manchester City are currently entirely focused on convincing Guardiola to come up with new terms, but it looks like he could take on a new challenge in the not-too-distant future.

Manchester City review: interest in Wirtz and Kwenda revealed

Meanwhile, Manchester City are keeping a close eye on Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz as they prepare for the likely departure of club icon Kevin De Bruyne next summer.

Bayern are seriously considering signing the 21-year-old attacking midfielder. considered Cityzen’s main rival in the race for his signature.

Leverkusen certainly won’t let the German superstar leave on the cheap, with at least £90 million (€107.2 million/$117 million) required to consider a sale.

In other news, sources exclusively told TEAMtalk that Manchester City have revealed specific interest in Sporting striker Giovani Kenda.

The 17-year-old provided an assist in Sporting’s 4-1 win over Manchester City on Tuesday and his performance has caught the eye of many teams.

We understand Ruben Amorim is interested in reuniting with Kenda at Old Trafford, while Liverpool, Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus have also expressed interest.

FULL BREAKDOWN: Key details of each Manchester City first team player’s contract: expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…