Pep Guardiola provides damning four-word response on Manchester City future

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered a blunt four-word response to questions over his managerial future beyond the Etihad Stadium.

Questions over the future of the legendary Catalan coach have intensified in recent weeks, after Guardiola and his Manchester City squad made yet more history in the game through a fourth successive Premier League title win.

In doing so, Manchester City became the first club in the history of the English top-flight to win the title four seasons running, with just one season remaining on Pep Guardiola’s existing Etihad Stadium contract.

During the off-season, many are now wondering just how long Guardiola could remain in charge of Manchester City, having won everything there is to win with the club, and setting a whole host of records along the way.

However, one destination appears to have been ruled out once and for all by Guardiola himself, as he spoke to the media this week ahead of a charitable outing alongside other celebrities from the sporting world.

Speaking at the Legends Trophy charity golf tournament this week, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was quizzed by Spanish media in attendance over whether an emotional return to FC Barcelona as head coach could be on the cards for the future.

The 53-year-old issued a firm response in an awkward moment for reporters listening on, with just four-words to clarify his intentions when it comes to his boyhood club and the first side to issue him an opportunity in management.

“Yes, it is closed,” Guardiola said, as relayed by journalist Víctor Navarro, when asked whether the ‘door is closed’ to a Camp Nou return.

Some within the game believe that while Pep Guardiola is no doubt entering into the final months of his time in charge of Manchester City, an exit from the sport entirely is unlikely given his personal aims in the game.

Guardiola has previously admitted a dream of managing at international level, and with the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States on the horizon, as well as the 2030 edition in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, opportunities are aplenty in the immediate future.

England are likely to be one of his opportunities given his love for the lifestyle and culture in the country, while the Netherlands and Brazil have previously been tipped for a Guardiola takeover in the past.