The Spaniard led City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday with a 3-1 win over West Ham United, after which he was asked for an update on his future at the club.
While Guardiola insisted he does not plan to follow long-time adversary Jurgen Klopp out of England this summer, he confessed his time in the Premier League is nearing its end.
“The reality is I’m closer to leaving than to staying,” the City manager told Sky Sports.
“It’s eight years, will be nine. Right now my feeling is I want to stay next season. We talked with the club, we have time to talk next season because I have to see the players as well, if they follow me, they follow us.
“I want to stay next season. During the season, we will talk. But after eight, nine years…”
Guardiola went on to admit that he felt as though his journey with City had reached a natural end last summer after the Champions League final triumph, only to find a rejuvenated sense of purpose.
“I had that feeling last season,” he said in his press conference. “We were in Istanbul and I said, ‘It’s over. What am I doing here? There is nothing left.’ But I have a contract. I am here and I am still enjoying some of the moments, sometimes tired but some of them I love.
“And after a few days, we start playing good, winning games, different players, and we start to think about how no one has done four in a row. Why not try it?
“Now, I am feeling it is done. What next? I don’t know, right now. Well, I know it is FA Cup. I know no team in all history, Gary Lineker told me, I did not know it, no team has done back-to-back Premier Leagues and FA Cups.
“So, it is our rivals, and what I want is for my players to enjoy it for two or three days and then we have two or three days to prepare the final.
“But, next season, right now, I am not able to know what will be the motivation to do it. It is difficult sometimes to find it when everything is done. But I know that the players and myself will be there and think, why shouldn’t we win today? Why not? Why should we not work as much as possible to do what we have to do?
“And I know we are going to do it. I know.”
