According to reports from The Guardian, Manchester United will not attempt to sign manager Pep Guardiola when his Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of the season.
The former Barcelona boss, who won two Champions League titles during his four years at the Nou Camp, is not expected to agree extended terms with the German giants and is reportedly keen to test himself in the Premier League.
Last week, it was reported that the Spaniard had one eye on taking the managerial reigns at Old Trafford despite long-term interest from local rivals Manchester City, but The Guardian claim the Red Devils will not make a move next summer when Louis van Gaal’s contract will still have a year remaining.
Other sources, such as The Sun, claim United are so committed to the Dutchman that they’ll hand him a £200million transfer budget for his final campaign at the helm.
That puts Manchester City back in pole position to sign Guardiola, having been in the thoughts of sporting director Txiki Bergiristain and chief executive Ferran Soriano, who worked with the retired midfielder at Barcelona, for some time.
Although Manuel Pellegrini signed a contract extension until summer 2017 in August, his long-term future at the Etihad Stadium has always been shrouded in doubt and recent results – including a shock 2-0 defeat to Stoke City last weekend – certainly won’t have helped the Chilean’s cause.