Ottmar Hitzfeld: Pep Guardiola will take over Manchester City next summer

Pep Guardiola's contract at Bayern Munich is set to expire next summer, and the Spaniard continues to be the subject of constant speculation over his future in management.

Ottmar Hitzfeld, who managed Der FCB in two spells during the 1990s and 2000s, believes the former Barcelona gaffer's destination is an inevitability.

"My reading is that Pep will leave Bayern because Manchester City will loosen the purse strings even more," Hitzfeld told Swiss paper Blick via ESPN FC.

"There is no reason to wait until December to make a decision because no titles can be won right now."

City's arch rival Manchester United has also been in the frame for Guardiola's much-coveted signature as Louis van Gaal struggles to win over the Old Trafford support. Bayern Munich and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer has previously predicted it will be the Red Devils who appoint Guardiola next summer.

Van Gaal and City boss Manuel Pellegrini are under contract until 2017 and both would receive significant compensation should its employer hire Guardiola at the end of the current campaign.