Pep Guardiola could make shock contract decision if Man City found guilty of FFP charges

Key figures at Manchester City believe Pep Guardiola has already decided what he will do if the club are relegated.

Manchester City won a historic treble last season, yet the club face an uncertain future. Last year the club were charged by the Premier League with 115 breaches of financial rules, and if found guilty, will face punishment that could range from a fine to relegation.

Last week Premier League CEO Richard Masters confirmed that a date has been set for City's case to be heard by an independent panel, although he did not disclose when that will be.

The mini-update has brought the topic of Pep Guardiola's future back into wider discussion. Would one of the greatest managers of all time really stick around and manage in a lower division.

The answer could well be yes. According to The Athletic's City correspondent Sam Lee, Guardiola could extend his stay at City beyond the 2025 expiration of his current contract, regardless of what division they are playing in.

"There is also a feeling that if City were to be found guilty of the most serious of the alleged Premier League rule breaches and relegated to a lower division, the Catalan would sign a new deal purely out of defiance," Lee wrote.

"He has said as much publicly, but key people at City believe it was more than public bluster in the aftermath of the charges being brought almost one year ago."

That said, nobody at the club - not even Guardiola - knows what the future holds.

Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with Pep Guardiola after the final whistle. Image: Getty

According to Lee, key figures at City are not ruling out Guardiola leaving the club when he decides the time is right, and are preparing for every eventuality. That includes losing the Spaniard at short notice.

Lots of technical staff will likely follow Guardiola out of the door when he leaves, but City hope to limit the impact on the non-playing side of the club as much as possible.

One key figure the Premier League champions have not been able to keep hold of is Omar Berrada. Last week the chief operations officer of City Football Group tendered his resignation in order to become chief executive officer (CEO) at Manchester United.

While in an ideal world City would have kept Berrada, his departure is unlikely to have the kind of impact Guardiola's would.