Manchester City fans may not want to see Pep Guardiola leave after what he has done for the club in recent years, but with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2021, the club appear to be making plans for a smooth transition with Giovanni van-Bronckhorst being brought in.

Gio to succeed Pep?

Sunday Mirror Sport has reported that the Dutch coach has signed an 'access-all-areas' role with the reigning Premier League champions. He has already been working in the background with the Manchester club following the end of his managerial position at Feyenoord prior to the summer.

The report states that the deal agreed is to assist the 44-year old with his development and that despite the club saying it was an 'informal agreement', van Bronckhorst has indeed now signed an official contract.

The plan, it appears, is to prepare for the departure of Guardiola early, and get the new man involved across the club to fully understand how it works. From the coaching, youth team, and scouting insights to commercial and boardroom overviews, an indepth integration of the former Rangers, Arsenal and Barça man is seen as key to the success rolling on post-Pep.

Whether this pans out or not will depend on how the Dutchman fits in over the coming months. City may already have a replacement sitting alongside Guardiola in Mikel Arteta, someone Vincent Kompany described recently as the perfect person to take over, while Pep himself talked up his chances. Van Bronckhort's managerial efforts in Holland, and his connections at the club, may give him the edge.