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That’s according to football consultant Ian McGarry, who claims the Spaniard asked for a clause to be inserted into his contract where the MLS outfit will offer him the job.

Guardiola took over at City in 2016 and initially failed to hit the ground running.

However, a year later he guided them to the title in record-breaking fashion - becoming the first ever team to reach 100 points, while also winning the most games and scoring the most goals in Premier League history.

When he does eventually leave City, though, McGarry thinks he could take a semi-sabbatical in New York.

“I am told on very good authority that in his contract when he signed his first contract with Manchester City, which of course remember is owned by City Football Group, who own clubs all over the world, he was asked and was given an option that when his contract at Manchester City expired or indeed he wanted to leave, that he would be offered the job of coaching New York City FC,” he told The Transfer Window podcast.

“Now we know Pep has a very beautiful apartment in New York where he visits and spends time on holidays, that he obviously spent during his sabbatical there, and while the MLS would look like a relative backwater for a coach of Guardiola’s standing to go to, especially as he’s still young in coaches years, you could see that being almost a kind of semi-sabbatical.

“So after the pressure of Manchester City for five years, maybe he could go to MLS for a year, maybe two years, live in New York which he loves to do, and then think about what his next job will be. Because clearly his status and CV will not have changed very much and he would be making a lifestyle decision as much as anything else to go to New York.

“So look out for that in terms of what Pep does when his time at City comes to an end.”

McGarry’s comments came after it was claimed:

(Image: GETTY)

(Image: GETTY) (Image: GETTY)

Many believe Guardiola could call time on his City tenure at the end of this season.

The club’s looming punishment from FIFA over Financial Fair Play regulations, which might see them slapped with a transfer ban, could see the 48-year-old move on.

Yet, journalist Duncan Castles can’t see him leaving anytime soon.

“I don’t think he will move,” he said.

“I think he’s been asked about this and he said his intention is to stay at the club. He’s repeatedly said, stated that he has faith in the owners and the executives of Manchester City, who have told him that they haven’t broken the rules and that this will go away.

(Image: GETTY)

“He’s raising his interest in that he always lays it off on the executives, makes it clear that it’s got nothing to do with him, but his stated position is ‘I believe we’re going to be exonerated from all of this because my employers have told me we’re gonna be exonerated. I do not want to leave the club and it will not affect my legacy if we are punished’.

“I think there’s another element here, which is something we’ve talked about with Manchester City. Manchester City don’t lose employees against their will. They don’t let players who are attracted by other clubs go to those clubs unless they want that player to go.

“Their top stars have always remained there, they’ve always been retained. And I think with Guardiola, even were he to decide he wanted to leave the club, Abu Dhabi would put a huge amount of pressure on him to stay - particularly in these circumstances.”