Pep Guardiola to make decision over future next week

Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will make a decision over his future with Bayern Munich in the next week.

The Spaniard, who is in the final year of his contract with the German champions, has been linked with a move to Manchester City next season with some reports last month stating that he has already decided to move to the Premier League.

But after Bayern’s 1-0 win over Darmstadt on Tuesday night, Guardiola refused to comment on questions about his future.

“Tonight, I have no answer,” he said. “Next week there will be clarity.”

Last month, the Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that they have yet to enter negotiations over extending Guardiola’s stay but said talks were scheduled to take place after Bayern’s match against Hannover on Saturday.

“It is not planned to push back that date,” said Rummenigge. “We have always said there will be a decision in 2015. I know that it’s late, just days before Christmas. But the talks will be held after the Hannover match, and we’ll then announce a decision.

“It always continues. There is no person in this world who can’t be replaced at some point. That’s the state of things. Players come, players go, and the same applies to coaches. They come and they go at one point.”

The Bayern captain Philipp Lahm has told Guardiola that the squad would like him to extend his stay. "The team's position is clear, we enjoy working with our coach and we really, really want to keep doing so," said Lahm.

However, the Spanish newspaper Marca is the latest to report that Guardiola’s mind is already made up. On Tuesday, it published a story claiming the 44-year-old has rejected Bayern’s offer of a new deal worth €20m a season.

(Guardian service)