Pep Guardiola would stay on as Manchester City manager if the club are found guilty of the 115 charges they face for alleged financial wrongdoing from the Premier League, according to a report.
City are engulfed in a battle in a bid to clear themselves of any wrongdoing, but have other issues to deal with too, including that Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season.
He had been linked with the England job, but Thomas Tuchel was appointed in that role on Wednesday. That leaves the Spaniard's future uncertain, though there have, however, been more suggestions that he will stay for at least another year.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain is set to leave his role at the end of the season, with it confirmed that Hugo Viana will replace him. That has only added to speculation that Guardiola's future may lay elsewhere.
But, according to The Athletic, with a verdict on the charges expected by the end of the year, sources close to the Spaniard suggest that if City were to be found guilty then it would make him more likely to stay.
Pep Guardiola's future could be decided by the ruling of Manchester City's financial charges, according to a report
The report suggests that a decision in that event would be out of defiance and not leaving a club he has fallen in love with while they are in a difficult spot.
An extra year would take him to 10 years in charge at the Etihad, having initially been appointed in 2016.
It is expected that Guardiola will inform the club of his decision in the coming weeks, giving them ample time to find a replacement should he look to move on from the club.
New director of football Viana will take new ideas to the club and is understood to have become used to the role during a lengthy interview process led by Begiristain to find his replacement.
It was initially expected that Begiristain would step down from his role soon after taking it on in 2012, but things went so well that he stayed working with the club.
Reports suggest that Ruben Amorim and Xabi Alonso are top of City's list if Guardiola does decide to leave, with Amorim having worked at Sporting Lisbon with Viana over the last few years.
The Portuguese boss has led his side to two Portuguese league titles since taking over in 2020 and is still only 39 years old.
Alonso, meanwhile, was heavily linked with the Liverpool job over the summer but opted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen after leading the club to the Bundesliga title without losing a game last season.