Guardiola 'to quit Barcelona'

Pep Guardiola has told Barcelona he will leave the club at the end of the season, according to reports on Thursday evening.

The Barca boss has guided the Catalan giants to two Champions League titles in his four seasons with the club as well as a host of other trophies.

But the former Barca star's future has been a source of constant of speculation for months and Sky Sports claim the 41-year-old is understood to have finally confirmed he intends to bring his time at the club to an end.

A joint press conference will be held by Guardiola and Barcelona president Sandro Rosell on Friday morning at 11am.

The decision comes after Barcelona's sensational exit from the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea in Tuesday's semi-final.

Speculation in Catalonia on Thursday morning suggested the former Spain and Barca midfielder was giving serious consideration to quitting.

Speaking after the game with Chelsea on Tuesday, Guardiola said: "I will speak with Tito [Vilanova, assistant manager] and see what we have to do.

"Right now, we need to talk more about the emotion of our players and how they recover because there are many players that have been playing a long time.

"We have to go to Rayo Vallecano [this weekend], we are still Barca, we have to continue doing things as we usually do them.

"So we will talk to the president as well and we will talk about everything - the situation what happened in these days and of course we will take a decision because it is time to take a decision now."

Guardiola stepped up from Barca B manager to first-team boss in 2008 and has gone on to become the most successful coach in the club's illustrious history.

He has led the azulgrana to two Champions League crowns, three La Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, three Supercopas, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.