Rummenigge happy to let Guardiola start City plans

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has no problem with Pep Guardiola having already begun his Manchester City plans.

Guardiola was pictured in Amsterdam this week along with City director of football Txiki Begiristain, and is claimed to have held a meeting to outline his intentions in the transfer market for when he takes charge at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

Begiristain was later seen with the agent of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, while Paul Pogba and John Stones have been rumoured as Guardiola’s other priority targets.

Bayern face Werder Bremen on Saturday as they look to sustain their five-point lead at the top of the table by ending a two-game winless Bundesliga run, before they host Juventus in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 next week.

Yet despite key fixtures on the horizon, Rummenigge says it would be “naive” to expect Guardiola to ignore his impending move to England and is adamant he remains focused on Bayern’s treble charge.

“Every day, Pep does an excellent job here,” he told Bild. “He’s intense and absolutely concentrated, just like on his first day.

“What he does on his days off is his decision. For me, it’s absolutely okay and legitimate for him to work on his future already. It would be naive for us to think he would start that after June 30. So, no problem at all.”