Manchester City football club on Monday confirmed that they have signed current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola to take over from the next season, beginning August. The announcement put to bed months of speculation regarding the future of the two-time European Champions League winner, who had said in December itself that he will be leaving the German club at the end of the current season. His announcement had led to a lot of speculation in the Premier League circles concerning his future club, with Manchester City and cross-town rivals Manchester United being the favourites.

As it turns out, Guardiola, 45, has signed a three-year contract at City and will replace the 62-year-old incumbent Manuel Pellegrini, who led the Sky Blues to the Premier League title in his first season in charge. City said in its statement, "Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation." Pellegrini said he is content with the decision.

Manchester City are currently on the second spot in the Premier League table, and are alive in the Champions League and the English FA Cup.