Pep Guardiola's wife Cristina was ‘drawn to the lure’ of other Premier League jobs

Pep Guardiola has reportedly split from his wife – years after she allegedly wanted her husband to take charge of two other Premier League clubs instead of Manchester City.

Guardiola has been grappling with more than just the team's woeful run of results in recent months. Reports in Spain suggest that he and Cristina Serra, his wife and mother of their three children, have parted ways after 30 years.

Despite their separation, they reportedly remain on good terms, having been spotted together at the theatre during Christmas, along with one of their daughters. Before their rumoured split, The Sunday Mirror revealed that Cristina had moved back to their Barcelona home in 2019, resulting in them living separately for the majority of the time as she travelled between Spain and the UK.

It was also once suggested that Serra wasn't particularly fond of moving to Manchester. When Guardiola announced his departure from Bayern Munich at the end of the 2015/16 season, it was uncertain where the Catalan tactician would end up – as the likes of City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal could have been considered.

However, The Independent reported in 2015 that Serra favoured the two London sides over the Etihad club. It was claimed that she was enticed by the allure of living in one of the world's greatest cities, be it the glamour of west London or trendy north London.

At that time, Chelsea were still under the ownership of Roman Abramovich and had not yet appointed Antonio Conte, who would lead them to their most recent league title in 2016/2017. Arsenal, on the other hand, were under the management of Arsene Wenger, fresh from winning consecutive FA Cups.

However, City already held the advantage in securing Guardiola's services,