Pep Guardiola contract extension: Did Man City contact Xabi Alonso or Ruben Amorim prior to agreement?

Rumours have reportedly been put to bed about a possible departure for current boss Guardiola at the end of the season.

The Man City manager was out of contract in the summer, but he is now set to sign a one-year extension at the Etihad, with an option for an additional year.

That will see Guardiola extend his tenure in Manchester beyond 10 years, after joining the club in 2016.

City chiefs were 'confident' of Guardiola staying put

Despite the impending departure of Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, Fabrizio Romano claims that Man City chiefs were always confident Guardiola would stay on at the club.

Hugo Viana will leave Sporting Lisbon to replace Begiristain, and that fuelled rumours that their manager Amorim may have been in line to replace Guardiola in the dugout.

However, Amorim's move to Manchester United quickly put those rumours to bed, but Romano states that no contact was made in the first place, despite the uncertainty surrounding Guardiola's future.

The journalist also claims that no talks were held with Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso, who is looking increasingly likely to leave his current employers at the end of the season, according to recent reports.

Alonso is being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid instead, with Carlo Ancelotti's future at the club under scrutiny following a disappointing run of results.

What next for Man City and Guardiola

Guardiola will now therefore work under a new Director of Football for the first at Man City when Viana takes over in the summer.

The timing of the contract announcement is an interesting one though, with City currently on their worst losing run for six years.

Back-to-back Premier League defeats to Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion as well as elimination in the EFL Cup at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and a thrashing in Lisbon against Sporting in the Champions League means the Citizens have lost four games in a row for the first time since 2018.

However, the club are certainly still in the title race, with Guardiola chasing a seventh Premier League crown in his ninth season with the club.