Pep Guardiola already looks like on a collision course with Manchester City hierarchy regarding the summer pre-season tour to China and a proposed friendly with cross-town rivals Manchester United, according to a report from the Sunday People.
The Citizen’s next manager is not at all interested in a tiring trip to the Far East in hot and humid weather as he preferred to start his conditioning work with his new team in the USA where he thinks facilities, pitches and the working environment will be much easier and suitable.
The Bayern Munich boss, who will officially make his already-confirmed move to English football on July 1, was even not satisfied when heard that one of the practice matches on City’s trip to China could be with Manchester United, however, any contract yet to be formally signed.
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour recently sold a 13 percent stake in the club to Chinese investors China Media Capital in a staggering £265million deal, and their new partners are highly interested for the Citizens to announce their new manager Pep Guardiola with a high profile tour this summer.
But Guardiola doesn’t like the plan and has even informed City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain that, if he was asked, China would not have been the choice.
The Spanish tactician enjoyed a winter break in his time in charge of Barcelona and Bayern, and he is concerned that a summer tour to China could eventually affect his team at the start of the new season, where he will seek a high work rate from the players, and also later in the season.
And the possibility of facing an old enemy like Jose Mourinho in Beijing in July if the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss take charge at Old Trafford is not at all an enjoyable prospect for Guardiola either.
The pair has confronted each other several times during high-voltage El Clasico games between Barca and Real Madrid and the new Etihad boss is desperate to avoid the media frenzy Portuguese in a potential pre-season meeting.
Meanwhile, Guardiola has requested the City board to give him a home with an indoor swimming pool. The Spanish manager wants his next home well ready before he arrives with his family to take charge at the Etihad and it is also believed that his wife Cristina Serra will start house-hunting in Cheshire in the coming weeks.
Club officials have been informed to look for a house with indoor pool facility to help keep his kids Maria, Marius and Valentina happy.
But Guardiola might decide to avoid living in high-end Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The reason is said to be Jose Mourinho have expressed a desire for a home there if moves to United as Louis van Gaal’s replacement next season is formally agreed, as per media reports.