Pep Guardiola to Manchester United: Have Old Trafford club trumped rivals Man City?

PEP GUARDIOLA has reportedly held talks with Manchester United in a hotel in Paris.

 

Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern at the end of the season

 

The stunning claims come from L'Equipe who say United and Guardiola held a meeting at Hotel Bristol last week.

The Bayern Munich boss announced last month that he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Guardiola, who has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Bayern, then revealed he wanted to manage in the Premier League next.

 

He said: "I want to coach in Premier League.

"That is the reason I did not prolong my contract.

"I have offers from England, but I have not signed a contract yet," he said. 

"When I have a new contract, then we will communicate it. I can't say more right now. I have not signed a contract yet."

 

It was expected that Guardiola would be heading to Manchester City to take over from Manuel Pellegrini.

While Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is said to be a huge fan of Guardiola and is ready to offer whatever it takes to lure him to Stamford Bridge.

But earlier this week it was reported that United boss Louis van Gaal was considering leaving the club at the end of the current campaign, with a year left on his contract.

Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Chelsea last month, was understood to be the leading contender for the United job but the alleged meeting could spark a battle between the Portuguese and Guardiola.

 

Hotel Bristol where the alleged meeting between United and Guardiola took place

 

Last week, Guardiola apologised for making public his decision to leave Bayern.

He said: "I am sorry. Normally, in my career as a coach, as a player, I respect a lot my colleagues, so I am sorry.

"It wasn't my intention."

Guardiola will be replaced at Bayern by former AC Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.