<p>Pep Guardiola has told friends he is going to remain as manager of Manchester City even if the appeal against their two-year European football ban is rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to media reports on Monday.</p>.<p>The 49-year-old Spaniard is said by The Times to have told both the City board and the players he will be staying despite the sanction and reported interest from Serie A champions Juventus.</p>.<p>Guardiola, who has been at City for four years, told the players of his intention at a meeting on Saturday.</p>.<p>The paper said he was expected to announce he is staying at a press conference on Tuesday, the eve of their re-arranged Premier League match with West Ham.</p>.<p>However, it is far from certain he will hold one.</p>.<p>He and his West Ham counterpart David Moyes had already performed the pre-match media duties prior to the February 9 game being postponed due to Storm Ciara.</p>.<p>The Sun claims the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has told friends he is going to at least see out his contract with the club which runs until 2021.</p>.<p>He is old friends with City executives Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain and enjoys an amicable relationship with club chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak.</p>.<p>"He is not the kind of person whose first thought is to leave when things turn bad," sources close to Guardiola told The Daily Telegraph.</p>.<p>According to those sources, Guardiola -- who was informed of the UEFA ruling prior to its official announcement when he returned from a break in Barcelona on Friday -- is "calm" about the ban.</p>.<p>Guardiola has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and twice lifted the League Cup since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016.</p>.<p>As for the players, the Daily Mail says they will stay too, although the Telegraph state the opposite should the club lose the appeal.</p>.<p>England striker Raheem Sterling has been the subject of rumours surrounding a likely bid by Real Madrid -- who City face in the Champions League last 16 later this month.</p>.<p>However, agent Aidy Ward, who has represented Sterling since he was at school, told the Daily Mail his client was focused on City and not any transfer speculation.</p>.<p>"Raheem is solely focused on Manchester City and will not be distracted by any talk of transfers at the moment," said Ward.</p>.<p>The club, though, according to the Telegraph, will leave it up to the individuals once the decision on the appeal is delivered, which they believe will be in May.</p>.<p>"Everyone has been told they need to stay professional but also there is an understanding that they have their own decisions to make," said the source.</p>.<p>UEFA announced the sanction on Friday, with European football's governing body punishing City for what it said were "serious" financial fair-play breaches between 2012 and 2016.</p>.<p>City were also fined 30 million euros ($32.5 million).</p>.<p>The heavy sanctions relate to an alleged overstatement of sponsorship revenue in the club's efforts to comply with financial fair-play rules.</p>
<p>Pep Guardiola has told friends he is going to remain as manager of Manchester City even if the appeal against their two-year European football ban is rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to media reports on Monday.</p>.<p>The 49-year-old Spaniard is said by The Times to have told both the City board and the players he will be staying despite the sanction and reported interest from Serie A champions Juventus.</p>.<p>Guardiola, who has been at City for four years, told the players of his intention at a meeting on Saturday.</p>.<p>The paper said he was expected to announce he is staying at a press conference on Tuesday, the eve of their re-arranged Premier League match with West Ham.</p>.<p>However, it is far from certain he will hold one.</p>.<p>He and his West Ham counterpart David Moyes had already performed the pre-match media duties prior to the February 9 game being postponed due to Storm Ciara.</p>.<p>The Sun claims the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has told friends he is going to at least see out his contract with the club which runs until 2021.</p>.<p>He is old friends with City executives Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain and enjoys an amicable relationship with club chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak.</p>.<p>"He is not the kind of person whose first thought is to leave when things turn bad," sources close to Guardiola told The Daily Telegraph.</p>.<p>According to those sources, Guardiola -- who was informed of the UEFA ruling prior to its official announcement when he returned from a break in Barcelona on Friday -- is "calm" about the ban.</p>.<p>Guardiola has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and twice lifted the League Cup since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016.</p>.<p>As for the players, the Daily Mail says they will stay too, although the Telegraph state the opposite should the club lose the appeal.</p>.<p>England striker Raheem Sterling has been the subject of rumours surrounding a likely bid by Real Madrid -- who City face in the Champions League last 16 later this month.</p>.<p>However, agent Aidy Ward, who has represented Sterling since he was at school, told the Daily Mail his client was focused on City and not any transfer speculation.</p>.<p>"Raheem is solely focused on Manchester City and will not be distracted by any talk of transfers at the moment," said Ward.</p>.<p>The club, though, according to the Telegraph, will leave it up to the individuals once the decision on the appeal is delivered, which they believe will be in May.</p>.<p>"Everyone has been told they need to stay professional but also there is an understanding that they have their own decisions to make," said the source.</p>.<p>UEFA announced the sanction on Friday, with European football's governing body punishing City for what it said were "serious" financial fair-play breaches between 2012 and 2016.</p>.<p>City were also fined 30 million euros ($32.5 million).</p>.<p>The heavy sanctions relate to an alleged overstatement of sponsorship revenue in the club's efforts to comply with financial fair-play rules.</p>