Guardiola hesitates on new deal

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola still hasn’t decided whether to extend his trophy-laden stay at the Catalan club. “I have not taken any decision,” Guardiola said yesterday. “If I had, the president would already know about it.”

Guardiola has won 13 of a possible 15 trophies since taking charge of Barcelona in 2008, including two Champions League titles and three straight Spanish league titles. The 40-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the season and his delay in signing an extension has sent rumors flying that he intends to quit while at the top.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said in December he hoped Guardiola would agree to stay on.

“He knows he can do what he wants, the decision is his to take,” Rosell said. “We will do all we can to make sure he can’t say no.”

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa has been mentioned recently as a possible successor and Guardiola said the Argentine would be a good choice.

Guardiola also dodged a question about replacing Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, saying he hoped the 70-year-old Scot would keep going for “a few more years”.