Pep Guardiola eyes January transfer splurge and has no plans to leave Manchester City before end of contract

Pep Guardiola will not leave Manchester City before the end of next season, according to reports.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is under contract at the Etihad Stadium until June 2021.

The 2019/20 campaign is Guardiola's fourth at the Etihad Stadium, and he has never taken charge of a club for a fifth season.

There were some suggestions that the Catalan could therefore walk away next summer, having already won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup in Manchester.

But the Times write that Guardiola intends to honour the deal he signed in 2018 and will therefore remain in his current position for another 18 months.

City dropped to fourth in the table following Sunday's 3-1 defeat by Liverpool.

That loss at Anfield means the reigning champions are now nine points adrift of top spot, leaving their chances of a third consecutive championship hanging by a thread.

Guardiola has not given up on overhauling Liverpool, though, and he is planning to be busy when the transfer window reopens in January.

The City hierarchy will make funds available as Guardiola seeks the ninth league title of his managerial career.

He will also be desperate to win the Champions League for the first time in nine years, and has earmarked two positions in his squad that require strengthening.

City have struggled at the back in recent weeks, and Guardiola wants to add another centre-half to his defensive options in the New Year.

And the 48-year-old is also on the lookout for an attacking player, with Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal among the forwards to have been linked with a move to the Etihad in recent weeks.

City will host Chelsea in their first game back after the international break, before a clash with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

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