Pep Guardiola Reportedly Quitting as Barcelona Manager

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly going to quit at the end of the season and take a break, Sky Sports reports.

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@skysports sources understand Pep Guardiola has told Barca he wants to quit #FCB at end of season & take break.

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) April 26, 2012"

Update: Friday, April 27 at 7:48 a.m. ET by Eric Bowman

 ESPN Soccer Net tweeted that Guardiola stepping down at season's end is finally official. 

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BREAKING NEWS: Barcelona officially announce Pep Guardiola will step down as coach at the end of the season. #fcb

— ESPN Soccernet (@ESPNSoccernet) April 27, 2012"

Many knew that Guardiola wanted out, and now it will happen. The next step is to find a new coach, and thanks to The Guardian's official sport's Twitter page, we know who Barcelona is going with next.

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Tito Vilanova confirmed as new coach of Barcelona …

— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) April 27, 2012"

Guardiola, 41, spent a few hours with club president Sandro Rossell on Thursday to discuss his future, and according to BBC, Rossell would have offered Guardiola unlimited spending money in the summer.

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During the talks, which took place at Rossell's private home in the city, Guardiola is understood to have expressed his belief that he could "not go on."

What had begun as discussions over an extension to his one-year rolling contract soon turned into a push to keep Guardiola at the club. Rossell is understood to have offered Guardiola unlimited spending power this summer but the Catalan will not base his decision on money.

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Rossell also said of his manager via BBC:

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"We have confidence in him; he is essential for our type of play."

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Guardiola enjoyed immense success as manager of Barcelona since taking over in the 2008-09 season. He was the manager of the Barcelona B-team before taking over the first team squad. Guardiola was also a world-class player as a Barcelona midfielder in the 1990s.

In his brief tenure at the Nou Camp, Guardiola has won two Champions League titles, one Copa del Rey title, three straight La Liga titles (2009-11), two UEFA Super Cup crowns and two FIFA Club World Cup titles.

He's been under a few short-term contracts as manager of Barcelona, and the absence of a long-term deal created numerous rumors about his future. His current contract with the club is set to end in the summer.

With Barcelona being eliminated from the Champions League to an inferior Chelsea side this week, and likely losing the league title to Real Madrid this past weekend, the Catalan club's reign as the kings of European club football may be closing.

When Guardiola decides to return from his "break," there will be no shortage of clubs that will do anything to sign him.

He's a young and exuberant manager who players love to play for. Guardiola is a fair manager, has great tactical knowledge and even trains with his players.

As for Guardiola's replacement, you can bet that Barcelona won't have too much trouble finding a manager willing to take on a team with immense history, a great following and a squad led by Lionel Messi.

With Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United possibly needing new managers in the near future, Guardiola might have a chance for another high-profile job very soon.

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