Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Wednesday (Aug 25) he plans to leave the English champions when his current contract ends in 2023 and hopes to eventually take charge of a national team.

“After seven years in this team, I think I’ll take a break,” said 50-year-old Guardiola.

“And in this process I’d like to coach a national team: South American, European… I want to have the experience of a Copa America.”

However, Guardiola is not banking on that national team being Brazil.

“A national team will be the next step, yes,” said Guardiola, speaking at an online event organised by Brazilian financial services company XP Investimentos, and quoted by ESPN Brasil.

“I think the Brazil coach will always be a Brazilian, I can’t see a foreigner coaching a team like Brazil.”

The former Barcelona player has won the Premier League title in three of his five seasons in charge of City and last term took them to the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

Before that he won the Champions League twice with Barcelona and also lifted La Liga three times with the Catalans and as many Bundesliga crowns with Bayern Munich.

As a player he also won the old European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and six La Liga titles with Barca.

However, he has yet to manage a national team, or win any trophies at international level.

Wednesday’s online event also included former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo has  agreed on personal terms with Manchester City ahead of a transfer and long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes flew into Turin this Thursday to secure his client’s Juventus  exit and according to multiple sources he is now ready to join the Citizens.

Ronaldo kick-started the transfer rumour mill on Sunday when he requested to be left out of Juventus’ starting XI for their Serie A opener with Udinese.

Juventus vice-chairman Pavel Nedved played down speculation that this meant Ronaldo was looking to leave, but reports in Italy later emerged claiming the 36-year-old had informed his teammates he wants to join Man City.

Ronaldo’s agent, Mendes, headed to Turin on Thursday to speak with his client, and the meeting with Juventus was reportedly tense.

Manchester City are yet to make a formal offer for Ronaldo, but the player and club are said are to have shaken on a deal.

Man City had prioritised signing  Tottenham  striker Harry Kane this summer but were quoted £150million to sign the England international.

Manchester City offered Spurs £75million plus £25million in add-ons, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy rejected the bid

With time running out in the transfer window, Kane tweeted on Wednesday: “It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I’ve had in the last few weeks.

“I will be staying at Tottenham  this summer and will be 100 per cent focused on helping the team achieve success.”

Ronaldo’s proposed transfer will come as a shock for Manchester United fans, who were hoping the Red Devils were going to bring the Portugal international home.

Kylian Mbappe is the subject of intense transfer speculation after the Paris Saint-Germain sporting director confirmed the Frenchman’s intentions to leave.

Real Madrid have already made a £140million bid for the World Cup winner, which has been rejected by PSG.

The Ligue 1 giants are holding out for a fee of around £170million, but the onus is on them to sell this summer given the fact that Mbappe is out of contract in 2022.

Mbappe has made it clear he has no intentions of signing a new contract in France.

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo told RMC: “Kylian Mbappe wants to leave, that seems clear. If he wants to leave, we will not stop him, but on our terms.”

If PSG refuse to sell Mbappe for a fee this summer then they risk losing him on a free next season. Mbappe has previously been linked with a move to Liverpool,   with Jurgen Klopp a big fan of the striker and the Frenchman an admirer of the Champions League and Premier League-winning boss.

In fact, Mbappe was close to joining the Reds from Monaco back in 2017, with French publication claiming the forward held a two-hour meeting with Liverpool owner John W Henry.

The meeting is said to have taken place on Henry’s private jet, with the American flying Mbappe and his family over the bay of Nice and the surrounding area as they discussed the youngster’s future.

Speaking in 2018, Klopp said of Mbappe to RMC Sport: “I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and a nice lad as well, so he’s a really good kid. What a player, what a player.

“Everyone knows him since he was 16, 17, when he impressed in Monaco’s youth teams, and I saw videos of him when he was 17 and he destroyed defensive lines as he is doing now.

“He’s at an unbelievable level of consistency at that age. He’s an outstanding player, that’s clear, but he can deliver, deliver and deliver, which shows he’s really good educated boy and he knows what he is doing.”

Mbappe, meanwhile, said of Klopp in 2020: “This season, Liverpool have been a machine in the Premier League.

“They have made winning look easy but the truth is that it is never easy.

“Performances, like they have been having, don’t just happen. To be as ruthless as they have been would come from lots of hard work in training and from having a very good manager.”