Joan Laporta has not yet thrown in the towel for Pep Guardiola. What for many seems more like an impossible dream or, directly, a mission doomed to failure, for the Blaugrana president is a possibility that is willing to face it to the last consequences. As AS has learned, Laporta plans to contact the current City coach on Sunday to propose that he return to Barcelona. And it will not be before because the maximum leader of the Blaugrana knows perfectly that Right now Pep is focused one hundred percent on the Champions League final against Chelsea this SaturdayTherefore, it would be counterproductive to divert the focus of attention or distract the City manager with future offers.
Laporta has assured his most intimate surroundings that he is able to convince Guardiola to return to Barcelona. Yes indeed, It might not be for the next season but the objective is for Pep to agree to take the team from the 2022/23 season.
Hence, in the meeting with Ronald Koeman last Tuesday the president was so ambiguous with the technician, asking him for a period of fifteen days to make a decision about his future, as revealed by TV3. And is that if Laporta finally managed to convince Pep to return to the Barcelona bench, then Koeman would fulfill the year he has left and the summer of 2022 would go free, thus saving the club the eight million in compensation.
Obviously it would be a master play by Laporta, but that many see as a 'boutade' by the Blaugrana leader: Guardiola himself has affirmed, by active and passive, that he will never return to Barcelona to be a coach. Also do not forget that Pep recently renewed until 2023 by the 'citizen', with an option of an additional year, that is, until 2024.
But Laporta wants to play all his cards in his bet on Guardiola. It will be on Sunday, after the Champions League final, when the Blaugrana president gets in touch with the Manchester coach. Depending on the result of that call, Laporta would inform Koeman that he will continue for another year or, on the contrary, will continue with the round of candidates to replace the Dutch coach.