Pep Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City at end of season

Manchester City are preparing for Pep Guardiola's exit after Sunday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

Sources have told BBC Sport that the managerial great is expected to leave Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

City maintain Guardiola has a contract for next season and are hopeful he will remain as manager.

However, work towards his anticipated exit is under way at the club, with members of staff of the understanding he will leave.

It is understood members of the squad are also anticipating his departure after the final game of the season against Villa, while the club have turned their attentions towards how best to mark the tenure of their iconic boss.

Naming the newly expanded North Stand after their departing manager is an option the club are understood to be considering.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who worked under Guardiola at City, is the frontrunner to replace the 55-year-old.

Guardiola has led City to 17 major trophies - and 20 in all - including six Premier League titles, the Champions League, three FA Cups and five EFL Cups during his 10 years at City.

The club's greatest boss is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, and could yet still cap his stellar spell at Etihad Stadium with a seventh league title, having already won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup this season.

Speculation about the manager's future has been rife for months, with the question about his tenure at City often coming up in news conferences.

He was asked on Friday whether the following day's trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final would be his last visit there. "No way," he said, reminding reporters he had "one more year" on his contract.

And in an interview with BBC Sport before Saturday's FA Cup final, when asked if he will still be at the club next season, he replied: "Yeah."

The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added: "I am here, I have a contract."

The same question came earlier on Monday at a news conference to preview Tuesday's trip to Bournemouth.

Guardiola was asked about Andoni Iraola's departure from the Cherries and whether he had thought about his own farewell.

He sighed and said: "Next. So many times – I have one more year."

He was also asked about the prospect of the North Stand being named after him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, I have no idea [about] that," he said.

"They don't have to do anything, honestly."

Is this the beginning of the end for Guardiola? The signs have certainly pointed to a possible departure in the past week.

On Friday, the manager was asked whether the following day's visit to Wembley Stadium would be his last - Guardiola said "no way" because he has "one more year [on his contract]".

But the playful way in which he delivered that line and his quick exit from the room raised a few eyebrows and only added to the mounting speculation.

City won the FA Cup for the third time under Guardiola by beating Chelsea on Saturday and, perhaps significantly, he took a picture holding the trophy with each member of staff one by one.

The cameras also caught him wistfully looking into the distance when the trophy celebrations were taking place on the pitch - was he searching out a family member in the crowd or taking in his final moments at the national stadium?

City have not made any comment on the latest developments and head to Bournemouth on Tuesday, where Guardiola is certain to be asked about his future once again. Will he provide a definitive answer or point to "one more year" as he has done throughout this season?

Guardiola took charge of his 1,000th career game as manager back in November and may bring down the curtain on Sunday by leading City out for the 593rd time - the highest number of games for which any manager has taken charge of City.

It would be a poetic way to bow out, whether the title is won or not.