Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been the subject of reports linking him with a surprise move to Juventus this summer, as the Old Lady seek a high-profile successor to Massimiliano Allegri.
The Italian champions announced Allegri's departure earlier this month, and he will leave at the end of the season having won a fifth successive Serie A title, meaning Juve are now in pursuit of a manager who can continue their domestic dominance and take them to the next level in Europe.
There are few with CVs better suited to the role than Pep Guardiola, especially off the back of an unprecedented domestic treble in England, but while the Spaniard may seem like an unrealistic target on the face of things, Italian journalist Federico Gennarelli has claimed on Twitter that Pep 'will' be the next Juventus manager, and has agreed a four year deal.
Doveva essere la giornata decisiva. Lo è stata: Pep #Guardiola sarà il nuovo allenatore della #Juventus. Contratto di 4 anni.
— Federico Gennarelli (@F_Genna88) May 21, 2019
Deal done ✅@RadioSportiva
The story spread like wildfire, and the Express soon cited reports from Spain in claiming that Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici met with the City boss in Milan, suggesting that talks of a move were on the agenda.
While reports have gone into overdrive, however, Guardiola did say last week that he would not be moving to Italy. It is believed that he wants to win the Champions League with City, having not advanced beyond the quarter-finals in any of his three seasons in charge, and feels he has unfinished business with the reigning Premier League champions despite two stellar domestic seasons.
That is backed up by City themselves, with Sammy Lee of Goal reporting that the club stand by Guardiola's assertion, so if the word coming out of the club is to be believed, then there may not be much to the reports.
In light of the latest Guardiola rumours from Italy this morning, Manchester City say they fully stand by the comments Guardiola himself made on Friday, when he categorically ruled out joining Juventus this summer.
— Sam Lee (@Sammy_Goal) May 23, 2019
So that’s the City view on it ☝
In truth, it does seem unlikely at this stage to be on the cards this summer, but having won domestic titles in England, Spain and Germany, it stands to reason that the Spaniard might want to add a Serie A or two to his trophy collection in the future.
Source : 90min