HOT: Pep Guardiola agrees to coach Real Madrid?

Coach Pep Guardiola is reportedly set to take over Real Madrid after the 2025/26 season concludes, despite still having one year left on his contract with Man City.

According to sources from the website Topskills Sports UK, Pep Guardiola is very close to reaching an agreement with Real Madrid to take over the head coach position from Alvaro Arbeloa starting next season. Notably, President Florentino Perez also fully supports this plan.

Reports indicate that the Spanish strategist has "agreed" to the proposal from Los Blancos, opening up the possibility of returning to coach a team in La Liga in the near future.

A key decision regarding this deal is expected to be made next week. If everything proceeds as planned, the summer at the Bernabeu promises to be extremely busy as Real Madrid prepares to enter a major period of change in the coaching staff.

Notably, if he returns to Spain, Pep Guardiola will have the opportunity to face Barcelona, the club that helped build his reputation both as a player and as a coach.

Pep Guardiola began his top-level coaching career at Barcelona when he was appointed head coach of the first team in 2008. In his very first season, he made history by helping the Catalan club achieve a treble consisting of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the 2008/09 Champions League. Under Guardiola's guidance, Barcelona became one of the greatest teams in football history with its famous tiki-taka style. During the 2008–2012 period, he won a total of 14 major trophies, including 3 La Liga titles and 2 Champions League titles, before leaving the club in 2012.

Currently, Pep Guardiola's contract with Man City still has 12 months remaining, extending until the summer of 2027. However, with the ambition to lead Real Madrid into a new era of prosperity, president Florentino Perez and the leadership are reportedly prepared to spend a large sum to persuade the 1971-born strategist to arrive at the Bernabeu.

For now, Pep Guardiola and his players will focus entirely on hosting Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. After the 0-3 defeat at the Bernabeu in the first leg, the Manchester representative faces a very difficult task. Even though playing at their home Etihad Stadium, the possibility of staging a comeback against the "King of the Champions League" is still considered not easy at all.