According to reports, Manchester United officials met with Pep Guardiola last week in order to try and nab the Bayern Munich coach before he agrees to move to Manchester City.
France Football report that Red Devils officials met with the Spanish manager in the five-star Le Bristol hotel in Paris in order to hold face-to-face talks with the big-name coach.
Guardiola has widely been tipped to be heading to the Etihad Stadium next season—having already confirmed that he will be leaving Bayern, where he will be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. Lothar Matthaus [Sport Bild] and Yaya Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk [Mirror]are just two high-profile footballing figures to express their belief that the coach’s move to City is a done deal.
However, The Sun, developing France Football’s story, note that while United were ‘convinced’ a month ago that City had nabbed Guardiola, the Spanish coach has stalled on signing a deal with the Sky Blues. The reason, according to the tabloid, is that the former Barcelona manager is concerned that the Bavarian giants and Manuel Pellegrini’s side could feasibly meet in the latter stages of the Champions League.
With no agreement confirmed between the former central midfielder and City, United are understood to have spied a window of opportunity, with The Sun noting that the Red Devils’ executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is aware that if United miss out on Guardiola to City now, it is impossible to foresee the coach one day coming to Old Trafford having already managed at the Etihad.
Guardiola looks set to be one of the more sought-after coaches in the history of the world game when his contract at Bayern comes to an end, having won three La Liga titles, two Bundesliga titles, two Champions League crowns and two Club World Cups as a manager with Barcelona and, latterly, Bayern.
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