Pep Guardiola Denies Rumour of Contract Option to Leave Manchester City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has denied a report that he has an option to leave the club next summer because of a break clause in his contract.

According to The Times' Matt Lawton, the Catalan coach's deal runs out in 2021, but he can leave a year early (h/t the BBC's Allie Hodgkins-Brown):

Lawton reported Guardiola can only activate the clause if "certain conditions set by City" are met, should he decide he wants to leave, though neither he or the club wants to do so at this time.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Guardiola said there is no such clause in his contract, per the Press Association's Andy Hampson:

As Lawton observed, Guardiola said in November he is "open" to extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium The 48-year-old is in his fourth season with City, so by the end of the campaign, he will have been in charge of the club for the same amount of time he was in the dugout at Barcelona.

Guardiola's Barcelona side won 14 trophies between 2008 and 2012, including three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu would, unsurprisingly, be happy if the manager were to return to the Camp Nou:

Such was the intensity of his time at Barcelona, Guardiola took a 12-month sabbatical before joining Bayern Munich in 2013. He spent three years in Germany before moving to City.

His Bayern side won the Bundesliga every season during his tenure and added seven more honours to his trophy cabinet, but they went out of the Champions League in the semi-finals on each occasion. The Bavarian outfit had won the competition immediately before Guardiola took charge.

City have won back-to-back Premier League titles and three domestic cups since Guardiola arrived in 2016, but they have struggled this season and find themselves third after 16 games, 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.

The Sky Blues have provided Guardiola with an incredible amount of financial backing since his arrival:

As imperious as the team have been for much of his reign, the club will likely be disappointed at their under-performance this season given the astronomical resources that have been invested.

Barring an incredible turnaround, a third straight Premier League title looks unlikely this season, but City remain in the Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup, so there's plenty of success they can still achieve if their form improves.

If City continue to struggle, though, it would not be a surprise if he decided to move on at the end of the season, clause or not.