England target Pep Guardiola has already revealed his international 'dream', it isn't managing Spain

Pep Guardiola has already made his desire to manage a national team well-known amid talk he could replace Gareth Southgate as England manager.

Southgate's contract expires after Euro 2024 and the Daily Mail claim that the 53-year-old is set to leave his position following the tournament in Germany.

The former Middlesbrough boss' future was up in the air after the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar and at the time, the likes of Graham Potter, Eddie Howe, Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Pochettino were touted as potential candidates.

But it's said the FA's dream is to have Manchester City's treble-winning manager Guardiola at the helm.

The former Barcelona coach has been in England since 2016 and had a transformative effect on football on these shores.

City have won five Premier League titles, including three in a row, while Guardiola finally led the club to its first Champions League trophy last season.

The spell at the Etihad Stadium is the longest he's ever been at a club, with Guardiola signing an extension until 2025, 12 months after the next Euros campaign.

Image: Getty

Guardiola has been linked with a number of national team jobs in the past, including Brazil and Argentina. And he has been vocal about having a "dream" to manage an international side.

"In our lives we have dreams of what we'd like to do in the future, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen," Guardiola told a press conference in 2018, as per Sky Sports.

"I would like to play a World Cup and a European Championship. I would like to live that situation. When I see the World Cup, I think I would like to be there. I had just one chance to do it as a player.

"In eight, 12, 14 years maybe it could happen. It's just a dream I have as a manager and a person. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't."

Image: Getty

However, proud Catalan Guardiola has more or less ruled out the possibility of ever managing Spain in the future.

"I think that is not going to happen," Guardiola said.

Topics: Pep Guardiola, England, Gareth Southgate, Manchester City

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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