Pep Guardiola Reportedly Eyed by Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich Amid City Talk

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly intent on luring Pep Guardiola to Stamford Bridge, although Manchester City remain the favourites to secure the services of the iconic manager.

Bayern Munich confirmed on Sunday that Guardiola will be leaving the club at the end of the season, with Carlo Ancelotti set to come in and replace him at the Allianz Arena.

According to Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, a deal is close to being agreed with City, but Chelsea are still trying:

Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail also reported that the former Barcelona boss seems set to move to the north-west, but the Blues have yet to give up hope:

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[Abramovich] is determined to make a statement following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho—the most successful manager in Chelsea history—by landing the biggest name of all.

But they know it will not only be cash that makes the difference and they believe that Guardiola’s wife Cristina Serra has a preference to live in the capital when they leave Munich at the end of his contract with the German club.

Chelsea’s owner, who was paying Jose Mourinho £250,000 a week (£12 million a year) before his dismissal last Thursday, is throwing money at Guardiola in an attempt to convince him to turn his back on Manchester City.

Guardiola has already assessed Chelsea’s squad and has indicated that the defending champions, 15th in the Premier League, will need to sign 10 new players.

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David Woods of the Daily Star suggests Chelsea have had some positive feedback in their pursuit: “The Stamford Bridge side have been encouraged by the noises coming from the Guardiola camp, and money is no object for Abramovich.”

According to Tom Collomosse of the London Evening Standard, the Blues are also exploring the possibility of appointing Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri in the summer.

Guardiola will be an enormous coup for whichever club does eventually ensnare him. During his time with Barca and Bayern, the 44-year-old has fashioned teams that play bewitching possession football, keeping the ball with panache and putting together attacking patterns with a noticeable swagger.

But Guardiola’s teams are typically winning teams, too. During his time with Barcelona, he won the Champions League twice and La Liga three times; Bayern have also won two successive league titles under his guidance, with a third likely to follow.

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OptaFranz summed up how successful Guardiola has been during his stint in Bavaria, with more honours to potentially come at the end of this season before he walks away:

Chelsea would be the biggest challenge of Guardiola’s career so far. The Blues are a club in disarray following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, who oversaw a disastrous beginning to the season. To get these players performing again in a style that is the antithesis of what the Portuguese professes would be an enormous test.

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With Champions League football unlikely to be at Stamford Bridge next season, the job might be a tougher sell to Guardiola than it would be for a club such as City.

But as Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez noted, there’d also be a rebuilding job facing the manager at the Etihad Stadium, should he eventually replace current boss Manuel Pellegrini:

Even so, City seem to be a more natural fit for Guardiola than Chelsea. There are structures in place at the Etihad Stadium that seem to have been meticulously built over time with the potential arrival of the former midfielder in mind. Plus, while things are far from perfect for City, there are plenty of talented, technical young players for Guardiola to work with at the club.

He would need to rebuild Chelsea, and given how contrasting the ideologies of Guardiola and Mourinho are, that’d be a lengthy process. For a coach of the 44-year-old’s ilk, who likes to enjoy brief stints at clubs before moving on, time overhauling the team and time out of the Champions League may be time wasted.