Guardiola next club named, as Man City crisis and Haaland rift prompts talk of historic move

A true powerhouse of the game are ‘preparing an offer’ to poach Pep Guardiola away from Man City amid serious questions over his relationship with Erling Haaland and the ongoing investigation into the club’s finances, per reports.

Man City were charged with a whopping 115 breaches of Financial Fair Play by the Premier League on Monday. The alleged infractions were detailed by the EPL here.

Man City fully intend to fight the case and have repeatedly insisted they are not in the wrong.

However, if the charges are proven, potential punishments range from simple fines to a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.

The issues at City appear to be seeping into the footballing side of the operation, with speculation over the futures of both Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola beginning to swirl.

Indeed, Haaland’s relationship with his manager was recently described as ‘terrible’ by reports in Spain. It’s also been suggested Guardiola never actually wanted to sign Haaland who represents a marked breakaway from the false nine tactic that’s served him so well at the Etihad.

The report added Haaland sees his next challenge in LaLiga, presumably with one of Spain’s big two.

However, talk of a critical Man City exit isn’t solely revolving around Haaland. Both the Express and FourFourTwo tout the idea of Guardiola being poached by French giant PSG.

PSG banking on Guardiola being ‘man of his word’

The former (citing information from L’Equipe), state PSG are ‘preparing an offer for Guardiola, hopeful that he is a man of his word and leaves City if they are found guilty of financial rule-breaking.’

That is in reference to previous comments from Guardiola who insisted he’d abandon City if the club lied to him over their financial dealings.

Guardiola said last May: “Why did I defend the club and the people? It’s because I work with them. When they are accused of something I ask them: ‘Tell me about that.’ They explain and I believe them.

“I said to them: ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and I will not be your friend any more. I put my faith in you because I believe you 100% from day one and I defend the club because of that.’”

If Guardiola does fall on his sword and walk away from City, he’ll have no shortage of suitors and PSG are seemingly intent on getting in early.

They’re currently managed by Christophe Galtier and are on course for another Ligue 1 title. However, they recently bowed out of the French Cup to Marseille and have already tasted defeat in 2023 on three occasions.

PSG also face the unenviable task of squaring off against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16. The UCL has become an obsession in Paris and an early exit to Bayern could be fatal for Galtier at season’s end.

In the event PSG were successful in poaching Guardiola, the Spaniard would complete a historic reunion with Lionel Messi.

The Argentine icon is a free agent in the summer, though there is an option in his current deal for an extra year. Furthermore, PSG’s sporting director, Luis Campos, recently confirmed talks over a brand new extension are underway anyway.

Messi developed into the global superstar he’s become under the guiding hand of Guardiola between 2008-12.

Messi won his first four or seven Ballon d’Ors (2009-12) during Guardiola’s time at the Camp Nou.

READ MORE: Haaland looking for immediate Man City exit after finance scandal erupts and rift with Guardiola emerges