Unless there is a dramatic turn of events that sees Pep Guardiola leave Bayern Munich this summer, Manuel Pellegrini’s position as Manchester City manager looks increasingly secure going into next season.

The club are thought to have placed Guardiola at the top of their list of targets to replace Pellegrini when the Chilean leaves the club, per Simon Mullock in the Mirror. With Guardiola’s deal at Bayern set to expire in June 2016, Pellegrini, effectively, has another season to prove he is worthy of a contract extension at the club, with the availability of Jurgen Klopp seemingly not enough to tempt City’s board into ending Pellegrini’s time at the Etihad early.

Six wins from the final six matches of the season have strengthened Pellegrini’s hand. After the defeat to Manchester United back in April, his position was becoming uncertain. City were on a run of eight defeats from 15 games in all competitions and looked completely lost, but the club look set to keep faith in the man who won a league title and a League Cup in his first season in charge.

So, what looks set to be a hugely important summer for City has already begun. Currently on a post-season tour of the U.S. and Canada, they are in the process of convincing Yaya Toure to stay, according to David Anderson in the Mirror. They will also already be working on bringing in new players they have identified to improve their squad.

Toure is thought to be a target for Inter Milan, with former City manager Roberto Mancini an admirer of the Ivorian and his game-changing qualities. Inter have struggled this season and Toure appears to be the man they see as the catalyst for a return to better form.

But it seems he will start next season at the Etihad, despite his troublesome agent, Dimitri Seluk, telling Sky Sports only a few weeks ago that he was “90 per cent certain” his client would leave Manchester. 

That, already, is a significant summer boost for Pellegrini who clearly values Toure and believes in his ability to influence the City side, even at 32. He may have fallen short of his impeccably high standards during the most recent campaign, but Toure still possesses a unique mixture of attributes that are almost impossible to replace.

Aside from talks with Toure, City also look set to be busy bringing players in. They desperately need pace and youth. At times last season they looked somewhat disjointed and uninspired, and an injection of new faces to reinvent the side is now needed. 

And with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play sanctions widely reported to be relaxed next month, coupled with City’s financial situation constantly improving, big changes could be afoot over the coming weeks. 

Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool winger, is a player who would fit the bill at City, given his ball-carrying ability and home-grown status.

Paul Pogba, the Juventus midfielder who looks set to be at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war, is also likely to be approached. However, according to Simon Bajkowski at the Manchester Evening News, Barcelona are becoming increasingly confident it is they who will sign the 22-year-old Frenchman. 

Pogba looks to have the quality needed to be one of the world’s best, and City are likely to do everything they can to sign him, but often when Barcelona come in for a player, there’s little other clubs can do to stop it happening. 

Meanwhile, according to BBC Sport, City’s post-season match with Houston Dynamo may be under threat given the flooding that has caused chaos in the city.

The Blues were set to play two matches—against Toronto FC on Thursday and Houston on Friday—but the second leg of the tour is now in some doubt. 

 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

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