Laporta hopeful Guardiola will renew contract

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Monday he hoped Josep Guardiola will renew his contract with the European champions before it expires at the end of the season.

“It is very important that he takes his time and that he is completely convinced of having made the right choice,” he told Catalan radio RAC1.

“I want to imagine the future of Barcelona with Guardiola,” added Laporta, whose mandate as president also expires in 2010.

Guardiola has remained silent on what he wants to do and Spanish media have speculated that the 38-year-old may be waiting to see who will succeed Laporta as president after next year’s elections before making a decision.

But Laporta said the extension of Guardiola’s contract “will not depend on who will be the new president of Barca.”

Barcelona have won all six competitions they have contested since Guardiola took over from Dutchman Frank Rijkaard in June 2008. At the time Guardiola was the coach of Barcelona’s B side.

The club beat Argentine side Estudiantes 2-1 on Saturday to win the Club World Cup final.

In the 2008-2009 season Barcelona also won the Champions League, Spanish league, the King’s Cup, the Spanish Supercup and the European Supercup.

Born in Santpedor to the north of Barcelona, Guardiola made his name at Barcelona as a star midfielder in the 1990s when Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was manager.