Sheikh Mansour sends message to Pep Guardiola and Man City after face-to-face talks in Abu Dhabi

Pep Guardiola held face-to-face talks with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour this week, presenting him with the Blues' latest trophies.

A City delegation headed to Abu Dhabi to meet the owner, who typically stays away from games and last attended for the Champions League final last year. Guardiola presented Sheikh Mansour with the latest Premier League trophy, the Club World Cup trophy, and the UEFA Super Cup.

According to the National, the City owner told Guardiola that he 'commends the efforts of the players', and 'emphasised that City’s title wins serve as motivation for the club to continue its progress'.

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Mansour later posted on Twitter: "I met with several officials from Manchester City. I thank the Club's senior management, the coaching team, and the players for their efforts, which have led to the team's outstanding achievements in recent years, most notably winning the English Premier League title for four consecutive seasons. I wish the team continued success in upcoming competitions."

The message echoes that of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, a close associate of Sheikh Mansour's, with Al Mubarak declaring the ambition for next season to be winning a fifth successive Premier League title and continuing the club's success.

Guardiola, who met Sheikh Mansour alongside Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano and Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain, posed for photos with the club's four Premier League titles won in the last four seasons, with the owner holding up four fingers wearing a big smile.

Photos then showed Guardiola and Sheikh Mansour sitting down for talks, mirroring previous end-of-season visits to Abu Dhabi where the manager, chairman, CEO and Sporting Directors have discussed the forthcoming season among other topics. Guardiola is now in the final year of his contract, and previous extensions have been signed after mid-season trips to Abu Dhabi to talk with the owner.

These latest talks will raise hopes among fans of another new deal, although Guardiola's last two extensions have come around November and December. City want Guardiola to stay, but accept the decision will be his and reports suggest he will leave the club next summer.

In the chairman's annual interview released this month, Al Mubarak spoke of Sheikh Mansour's happiness at City's progress, and also that of the wider City Football Group.

He said: "You can see today that I’m delighted, and I think I reflect our coaching staff, our management team, how our leadership, the board, the owner, His Highness Sheikh Mansour and of course everybody in our staff. Everybody feels obviously proud and delighted with what we have achieved this year.

“Since day one, Sheikh Mansour as the largest shareholder of the [CFG] group, has been very focused on growth and value appreciation. And in doing so, every pound of profit has stayed within the group to support growth and development.

"The result of it is we always are investing. We're always investing in infrastructure, in the development of these clubs. We're buying new teams. We continue to grow and grow."