Barcelona open to Guardiola return

Barcelona will always keep the possibility of Pep Guardiola returning to the Camp Nou dugout open, claims club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Having spent a year managing their B team, the current Manchester City boss took over as Barcelona head coach in June 2008 and the club embarked upon arguably their most successful period in history. By placing his faith in the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, rather than Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o or Deco, he built the core of the team which under his command went on to win three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies and the Champions League twice, before leaving for a well-deserved sabbatical in 2012 and eventually joining Bayern Munich a year later. He didn’t lack success there either, just like in the Premier League after joining City in 2016.

There is a lot of talk about the future of the current Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde at the moment, with Bartomeu himself recently admitting his contract, set to last until 2021, could be cut short at the end of the season. Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has been mentioned as a potential candidate after Euro 2020, but as reported by La Repubblica, Bartomeu says the door the always open for Guardiola’s potential return.