Pep Guardiola: Manchester City and Chelsea risk missing out on manager as Bayern Munich prepare record £17m-a-year offer

Chelsea and Manchester City could face a serious obstacle in their pursuit to land Pep Guardiola in the summer as Bayern Munich are ready to offer the Spaniard an incredible new contract worth £17m-a-year in order to keep him in the Bundesliga.

Guardiola has remained coy on his future, and at times has reacted angrily to questions over his tenure at Bayern given that his contract expires at the end of the season. With both City and Chelsea known to be fans of Guardiola’s, they would certainly consider changes should the former Barcelona manager become available in the summer – especially the Blues given their current troubles under Jose Mourinho.

According to the Daily Mirror, Bayern are aware of the interest in Guardiola from the Premier League though, and will attempt to delay his exit by offering him a deal through to the end of the 2017/18 season, although when contract renewal talks begin next month it’s thought that Guardiola could instead seek a one-year extension in order to keep his options open.

It was reported last month that Guardiola would favour a move to London if he were to head to the Premier League, which appeared to hint that Chelsea and Arsenal led the way in the race to sign the 44-yearold. However, Arsenal will not sack current manager Arsene Wenger in the summer even if Guardiola announced that he will leave Bayern, and a one-year deal for the Spaniard would coincide with Wenger’s current contract coming to an end.

Manchester United are also believed to be keeping an eye on Guardiola given that Louis van Gaal’s future is not certain, with the Dutchman planning on retiring after his work is done at Old Trafford.

While City currently lead the Premier League, Manuel Pellegrini has looked under threat in the past, especially given their poor record in the Champions League, and having won two European Cups as manager of Barcelona and one as a player with the La Liga side, Guardiola would certainly be an attractive option for the Etihad hierarchy.

A £17m-a-year deal, which would include significant performance rewards and bonus clauses, would represent a £3m increase on Guardiola’s current deal. He is already the highest paid manager in the world, with Chelsea’s Mourinho currently paid £12m annually after he signed a new four-year deal earlier this year.

However, Guardiola’s advisor, Josep Maria Orobitg, has again played down Guardiola making a quick decision over his future, and he revealed that any talks that have already taken place with the Bundesliga champions will remain private.

“Not even I know what Pep’s intentions are,” said Orobitg. “We’ve had some intensive talks in the past few days, but when it comes to things like this, he’s very private.

“He will make up his mind entirely based on his own impressions. He is very happy but at the end of the day, it is a decision he is going to take by himself.

“One thing is for sure, however, and that is everybody around him will accept his decision, no matter what it is.”