Story byGianluigi Donnarumma makes admission on Manchester City amid Pep Guardiola exit talkCity XtraMon, December 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM UTC·3 min readGianluigi Donnarumma has lauded Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City manager’s future at the Premier League side came under serious doubt this past week. The 54-year-old’s contract at the Etihad Stadium is due to expire in the summer of 2027 but mainstream reports have suggested a decision surrounding a likely exit one year earlier than expected could be made by club officials in the coming months. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementChelsea’s Enzo Maresca, who has previously managed the Manchester City U21s and worked in Guardiola’s first-team staff at the Etihad Stadium, is among many potential replacements for the Catalan – alongside Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany and Marseille’s Roberto De Zerbi. The rumours regarding Guardiola’s conjectural exit, which would see him surpass a decade in England – all while having won 18 trophies including six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League title – have been described by the Spaniard as ‘100% speculation’. Nevertheless, Guardiola also claimed that City ‘must be prepared’ to plan for his departure and recruit an eventual successor in the days leading to his side’s 3-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, which saw Donnarumma make his 19th appearance for the Blues in all competitions since joining his £26 million deadline day arrival to Manchester in September. The Italy international was the last and arguably most notable part of a £150 million squad revamp orchestrated by director of football Hugo Viana this summer, which also saw Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford and Rayan Ait-Nouri arrive in the north-west. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDonnarumma has started 14 of Manchester City’s 17 games in the Premier League campaign this season – which equates to every league match since he joined the Blues – and has made his feelings clear over his future in England in the years to come. In a recent interview with Sky Italy, the 26-year-old said: “I respect him (Guardiola) enormously. We have an extraordinary relationship and he helps me a lot with my decisions.