Man City identify huge replacement should Pep Guardiola leave this summer

This would be a monumental successor.

With reoccurring speculation regarding the Spanish boss' future, Guardiola is yet to make a concrete decision as to whether he will remain as City manager - and if so how long for.

This leaves the door open for a potential successor if required and the club have reportedly already shown 'concrete interest' in a highly sought-after manager.

According to the highly reliable Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, City have sounded out the possibility of Xabi Alonso should Guardiola leave in the summer.

Alonso was linked with the Liverpool job in the summer before Arne Slot's appointment, however opted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for another season.

Lauded a genius of management, Alonso guided Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in a remarkable underdog story, beating German giants Bayern Munich.

However, Leverkusen are adamant that Alonso will move to Real Madrid, who are currently the frontrunners to secure his services next summer.

Alonso is seen as the ideal candidate to succeed the iconic Carlo Ancelotti.

This would also increase Real Madrid's chances to sign the world-class prodigy Florian Wirtz.