Manchester City move 'an option' for Manuel Pellegrini

Outgoing Malaga manager has conceded he is open to taking charge at the English Premier League club.

Manuel Pellegrini has guided smaller clubs, such as Malaga this season, to the latter stages of the Uefa Champions League. Daniel Perez / EPA

Manuel Pellegrini, the departing Malaga manager, has described taking the Manchester City job as "an option".

The Chilean has already confirmed he is to leave Malaga at the end of the season and has been widely tipped to take over from Roberto Mancini at Etihad Stadium.

And speaking after the Spanish Primera Liga club's last home game of the season on Sunday night, a 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna, Pellegrini admitted City are in his thoughts.

"I am lucky to have good options and Manchester City is an option," he was quoted as saying on marca.com.

City sacked Mancini after the club failed to kick on from their English Premier League title win last year, with performances in the Uefa Champions League particularly disappointing.

Speaking on the club's tour of the United States, chief executive Ferran Soriano said recently that City would be targeting five trophies in the next five years under their new manager.

City have not yet confirmed the 59 year old is the man they want but, when asked, Soriano did nothing to deny the intense speculation linking them with the Chilean.

Pellegrini, also a former Real Madrid manager, has taken both Malaga and Villarreal to the latter stages of the Champions League while earning plaudits for his style of play and man-management.

Soriano said: "I think the boxes are right. You know what we want. The analysis of the candidates goes beyond the results that we can see.

"Age is not relevant at this point, but with the kind of squad we have, we want a senior manager.

"We want a manager who knows about football but we want somebody who knows about man management and this is something we are convinced about – myself, the board, the owner – that it is impossible for us to win, win the Champions League, if we don't have a group that behaves like a family."

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