Pep Guardiola ended speculation over his future Thursday by signing a new two-year contract with Manchester City that promises to keep him at the club until June 2023.

Guardiola’s previous deal was set to expire next summer.

Despite talk of a potential return to Barcelona in recent weeks, the Spaniard is sticking with City as they continue their search for a Champions League title.

“It is testament to the qualities of the man that Pep Guardiola’s passion and intelligent approach are now woven into the very fabric of the football we play and our culture as (a) club,” chairman Khaldoon Mubarak said in a statement.

“That impact has been central to our success during his tenure and it is why I am delighted that he shares our view that there is so much more to be achieved both on and off the field.”

Guardiola’s currently in his fifth season with City, the longest he’s ever spent coaching a single club. He left Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively, after just three years.

Since arriving in England in 2016, the 49-year-old has won the Premier League twice, the League Cup on three occasions, and the FA Cup. He steered City to an unprecedented domestic treble in 2018-19, winning in all three competitions.

But success has eluded City in Europe. They’ve yet to reach the Champions League semifinals under Guardiola, falling at the quarterfinal stage three times.

“The challenge for us is to continue improving and evolving,” Guardiola added, “and I am very excited and about helping Manchester City do that.”

La Liga president Javier Tebas took aim at Manchester City on Tuesday by saying the club can only sign Lionel Messi because it skirts UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

City were believed to be ahead of the queue to acquire Messi when the Argentine demanded a transfer from Barcelona in August. However, Messi withdrew his request to terminate his contract 10 days later to avoid a legal wrangle with the Catalonian outfit.

Messi’s Barcelona deal expires next June, allowing him to walk away from the Camp Nou for free if he doesn’t extend his paperwork.

“The only club in the Premier League that talks about registering Messi is Manchester City,” Tebas said in a news conference Tuesday when asked about the prospect of Messi leaving Spain, according to ESPN’s Sam Marsden.

“Since Man City compete outside the rules, what I am worried about is that they are able to access a player by breaching UEFA’s rules. It is not only me complaining about this. (Liverpool manager Jurgen) Klopp and (Tottenham Hotspur’s Jose) Mourinho have also complained about City.”

Tebas added La Liga is “ready” should Messi decide to leave and claimed it hasn’t “noticed any difference” from the departures of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in 2018, as quoted by BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.

UEFA declared Manchester City guilty of breaking its financial rules and banned the club from European competitions for two years. City maintained their innocence, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared them of breaking UEFA’s guidelines in July.

“I have criticized what City do so many times, doing it one more time makes no difference,” Tebas said. “They are not affected by COVID-19, by pandemics, or by anything because they are financed differently and it’s impossible to fight against that.”

Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, took over City in 2008. The ownership group has since spent large amounts of money on the club’s facilities and in the transfer market to turn it into one of the strongest forces in the European game.

The FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar has been pushed to February due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the world football governing body announced Tuesday.

The tournament was scheduled to take place in December, but will now be held from Feb. 1-11 after various continental tournaments around the world were brought to a halt by the pandemic earlier this year.

A statement from FIFA reads: “The FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, which was originally scheduled for December, has been subject to the disruptive effect of the pandemic on the confederations’ continental club championships that serve as a pathway for the event.

“The introduction of strict return-to-play protocols has facilitated a successful resumption of continental club championships, the last of which is now scheduled to conclude by the end of January 2021.”

Bayern Munich, one of two teams that qualified for the tournament, will represent Europe after winning the Champions League. Liverpool won last year’s competition.

FIFA also announced that the women’s Under-20 and Under-17 2020 World Cups have been canceled despite being rescheduled for 2021 earlier this year.

One of Europe’s most exciting young players could be on the move this winter.

Red Bull Salzburg head coach Jesse Marsch admitted he expects Dominik Szoboszlai to join a new club in the January transfer window after a series of eye-catching performances for the Austrian side and Hungary.

“The reality is that a guy like Dominik Szoboszlai is likely to have many suitors this winter. He’s an incredible talent,” Marsch said on the “Futbol with Grant Wahl” podcast.

The American added, “Let’s see what happens, but I would be surprised if he winds up staying past winter.”

Szoboszlai, 20, captured worldwide attention for his most recent goal. With the score tied at 1-1 and the game ticking toward extra-time, the Hungarian playmaker carried the ball from his own half and to the edge of Iceland’s box before unleashing a low drive into the bottom corner. The goal punched Hungary’s ticket for next summer’s European Championship.

Szoboszlai’s exploits have sparked rumors that he’ll move to one of the biggest clubs on the continent, including Salzburg-affiliated club RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. Italian giants AC Milan have also been linked to the young star.

“He is a gem,” German icon Lothar Matthaus said in an interview with Munchner Abendzeitung over the weekend, as translated by Goal. “He’s like Kai Havertz.

“He could move to RB Leipzig in January, but I’m convinced that every top club in Europe has him on their list, including FC Bayern.”

Szoboszlai has contributed one goal and five assists across seven appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga this season.