Man City draw up three-man shortlist to replace Pep Guardiola in the event of 2023 exit

Manchester City have drawn up a three-man shortlist of options to potentially replace Pep Guardiola in 2023, should he decide to leave the club at the end of his existing contract, a new report has revealed.

Guardiola, who has guided City to four Premier League titles, four League Cups and the FA Cup, will be out of contract in 2023 and his future at the club remains unresolved.

The Spaniard has always said that he will stay at the Etihad as long as his players continue to believe in his methods and fight for the City cause.

He recently hinted at his long-term future with Manchester City following their dramatic win over Fulham.

With the 51 year-olds contract due to expire at the end of the current season, his claims will give optimism to everyone associated with the club that he will extend his successful spell at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite a clear confidence from within the first-team camp however, a new report has highlighted how significant individuals within the operation continue to prepare for a worst case scenario next summer.

According to 90Min, a succession plan has been ‘floated’ by Manchester City’s hierarchy if Pep Guardiola opted to leave the club at the end of his current contract.

The report states that one name to have been discussed by Manchester City is former assistant coach and the current Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta.

Bayern Munich’s Julian Nagelsmann and River Plate’s Marcelo Gallardo are two others on Manchester City’s radar, according to the report.

For now, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in particular are fully-focused at the task in hand.

The Premier League giants – despite their incredible success across domestic competitions – continue to battle to win their first ever Champions League title.

City will face RB Leipzig in the last-16 of Europe’s premier competition across two-legs to be played in late February and early March.