As it stands, City must start to plan for a future without Guardiola's genius

AS we enter July, we are officially into the final year of Pep Guardiola's City contract with no sign of an extension just yet.

- JOE BRAY

Most contracts at football clubs run until June 30, so assuming Guardiola's deal until the end of the 2024/25 season follows suit, there is now under a year before the Catalan could depart.

City want him to stay, and Guardiola is open to the prospect, but he admits he is 'closer to leaving than staying' in relation to his eight-year reign, and reports say the expectation is the coming season will be his last.

One complication comes in the form of the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be well underway this time next year. Starting in mid-June, City will expect to be involved until the latter stages into mid-July, so Guardiola's deal will have to be amended around the tournament if this season is indeed the final one of his glittering era.