PEP GUARDIOLA is set to take a pay cut when he returns to Manchester City, according to reports.
The manager, 49, earns around £20million per year in his role at the Etihad.
But according to The Times, Guardiola – who is currently in Barcelona – informally discussed the prospect of cutting his salary.
It is also reported that senior City executives including director of football Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano, the chief executive, and some at their sister clubs within the City Football Group are also prepared to receive less pay to ensure all of the club’s non-playing staff can be paid in full throughout the lockdown.
The players, too, are ready to see their wages shrunk over the coming months to help support both the workers at the Etihad as well as the NHS.
Vice-captain Kevin De Bruyne spoke with the league’s captains on Saturday where it was agreed the players across the division wanted to play their part to support the country.
The suggestions were made as those within football try and help look at the ways they can reduce the financial impact of coronavirus on the sport and wider community.
Nothing official has been decided at Manchester City yet, with the club thought to be waiting to get a better idea of the significance of the financial damage from Covid-19.
One Manchester City executive told The Times: “This is our compromise with the club. We know that there will be sacrifices and we are committed to doing this [taking a pay cut].”
City were the first Premier League team to confirm they would not be putting workers on furlough.
Tottenham and Liverpool received heavy criticism for turning to the government scheme to cover staff wages before the Reds made a sudden U-turn on Monday.
The discussions between Guardiola and City’s board had already taken place before the City boss tragically lost his mother on Monday.
Dolors Sala Carrio died in Barcelona aged 82 after contracting coronavirus.
Guardiola is in Barcelona with his family as they begin to grieve the devastating loss.
Dolors is one of more than 3,000 people in Catalonia to die of the virus with more than 13,000 across the country overall.
Just weeks ago, Pep donated £920,000 to fight the virus in his homeland, intending for the money to go to medical equipment through the Angel Soler Daniel Foundation.
