Manchester City should be able to breathe a sigh of relief after it emerged that Pep Guardiola has reached an agreement in principle to extend his contract, with the length of the new deal revealed and when an announcement can be expected.

With Guardiola’s current contract expiring at the end of the season, there have been concerns over the manager’s future at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola oversaw an era of Man City dominance, winning six Premier League titles. And while cynics would say he was backed up with the best team in the league, his success should never be taken for granted and would be a remarkably tough act to follow.

Fortunately for Man City fans, it looks like they won’t have to worry much longer about who will be leading them next season, with Guardiola now being heavily backed to stay in charge.

Conformable Football Insidera new contract for Guardiola is ‘99% done’ after reaching an agreement in principle to stay – but there’s a catch.

Indeed, the report claims that the new deal will only be valid for next season, meaning City could find themselves beset by the same dilemmas this time next year.

However, by the time the proposed new deal expires, Guardiola will have just completed 10 seasons of service at City, a rare achievement in the modern era.

After all, Guardiola is already City’s longest-serving manager since Les McDowell from 1950 to 1963. He is also the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.

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When will Guardiola’s future be confirmed?

Football Insider claims that Guardiola’s new contract will be officially announced “soon” by City, without specifying whether it is days or weeks away.

It should come as a timely boost when the team has been uncharacteristically out of form, losing their last four games in a row (to Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting and Brighton).

There has been no indication that Guardiola is under pressure over the drop, but he has been linked with other jobs, including some in international football.

Instead, it looks like he has one more season to prepare with City beyond this one – and then only time will tell where he goes next.

For example, he was identified by the FA as a strong contender for the England job, but Thomas Tuchel was handed the reins instead.

Man City transfer summary

With Guardiola still expected to be at the helm, City will be keen to ensure their squad is as strong as possible for what could be his final season in charge.

But already without Rodri due to his serious injury, reports have warned that the Ballon d’Or winner he may have already chosen his next club.

The prospect of losing their key defensive midfielder for good would only intensify City’s plans to strengthen in his position, with Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and Pablo Barrios from Atletico Madrid of the related ones.

Elsewhere, there were also claims that Guardiola demanded two Dutch signingsincluding one from another Premier League team.

Guardiola’s incredible honours