Reports in Spain suggest Pep Guardiola could be set for a shock exit from Manchester City at the end of the season … to take over the England national team.
The City boss has long been linked with the English job and according to insiders covets it, believing he can take them to World Cup glory and a repeat of their 1966 success.
With City facing 115 charges from the Premier League for various misdemeanours, even if some are proved it could have a huge destabilising effect on the club.
Those are set to be heard and decided on early next season, so for Guardiola to jump ship then does make some kind of sense.
Gareth Southgate is the current coach of England but is expected to exit the role at the end of the European Championships in Germany next June-July, whether England win or not.
After winning the ‘Treble’ with City last season, the Spanish reports suggest Guardiola “considers that his time in the Premier League is already very close to coming to an end”, and that he wants a national team job with little interest in taking on a club role.
The report adds that it “seems to have practically decided which challenge would most seduce him” with Guardiola to “take charge of the English national team, a country where he feels at home, both he and his family”.