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Manchester City have already begun making arrangements in preparation for Pep Guardiola's departure.

The City boss has been in the hotseat at the Etihad since 2016, and is said to be open to extending his deal with the club beyond its current 2021 expiration.

However it is felt Guardiola could call time on his spell at City at the end of this season, particularly if they manage to win the Champions League.

Guardiola has never spent more than four seasons as manager of one club, with him now into his fourth campaign at City.

And the Athletic report that this is something the City hierarchy are now planning for, after sounding out potential candidates for a backroom role.

(Image: PA)

City are believed to be looking to fill a position which would see the successful candidate work closely with the medical and fitness departments aligned with the first team.

The role would initially be limited, but would become very hands-on if Guardiola were to depart.

In discussions with potential candidates, it is said to have been made clear that this could be Guardiola's last season in charge.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Contingency plans to replace managers are not uncommon, but an appointment of this nature would likely cause some friction with Guardiola and his backroom team.

For this reason City are keen for the role to be more of an opportunity for the candidate to become familiar with the processes currently in place at the club, rather than to impact the team in any way.

Guardiola's position at City has becoming an increased topic of debate following City's poor start to the season.

(Image: Getty Images)

Defeat to rivals Man Utd at the weekend leaves them 14 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool , and City's squad is starting to show the first signs of needing to rebuild and replace aging stars such as Fernandinho and David Silva - which Guardiola may not wish to oversee.

When quizzed on his future at the end of last month, Guardiola said: "I'm so comfortable working with this club.

"When you are [somewhere for] five years it depends on the results. We will see what happens this season and next season."

Speaking about the prospect of staying on, he added: "I'm open [to it], yes. It is not about what the club wants or not. For me, I want to see my players and the reaction of my players and everything.

"It is not as simple as I want to extend. I want to see the club, I want to see the players, I want to see how we are still working together.

"That is the most important thing after five years together. You have to feel like we can do it together and enjoy to work together."