Chelsea offer Pep Guardiola total control

Chelsea representatives are expected to meet Pep Guardiola in the next few days to discover whether he can finally be persuaded to join the club now that he has formally announced he is quitting Barcelona.

Talks with Guardiola have been ongoing over the past few months as Roman Abramovich has sought to persuade the Spaniard to become the next manager at Stamford Bridge.

The billionaire has already promised Guardiola 'carte blanche' at Chelsea in terms of how the club are run and structured, and which players are bought and sold.

Despite Guardiola's denials yesterday (Friday), it is maintained by Chelsea sources that he did meet Abramovich and the Russian's highly influential personal assistant, Marina Granovskaia, in Paris. It is also believed that Guardiola has discussed the matter with former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is now the head coach of Paris St-Germain.

Guardiola has been Abramovich's first choice to take over at Chelsea and he even considered trying to capture him in the run-up to last season's Champions League final before confirming an offer to Andre Villas-Boas, who was sacked last month.

It is thought that Guardiola has strong reservations about taking over at Chelsea - he is friends with Villas-Boas - not least because of the demand for instant results and the history of chopping and changing managers and the lack of structure at the club. He would probably want to bring in his own sporting director.

Guardiola is determined to take a break, which could be a year's sabbatical from the game. If that happens it raises the possibility of Chelsea offering interim head coach Roberto Di Matteo the job on a short-term contract next season.

Abramovich is considering other candidates, such as Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho, Marseille coach Didier Deschamps and France coach Laurent Blanc, who has been pushing for an offer.

"I'm not interested in coaching now," Guardiola said in a press conference to announce he was leaving at the end of this season after four years as the club's most successful coach. "There are more things than football," he said. "I will rest and maybe one day I will say, now let's train. Maybe not. Let's see where life takes me. My desire is to do other things. I have nothing left and need to recharge my batteries. I have to recover and the only way I can do that is by distancing myself."

Asked directly whether he had met Abramovich on Feb 29 - as a report appeared in the Spanish press yesterday alleged - he replied: "No, that would be a lack of respect to the club." He added: "I have never met with Roman Abramovich, nor any Chelsea representative."

That claim was being treated with scepticism yesterday as there is huge pressure on Guardiola to join Chelsea. "Sooner or later I will manage again, I don't know when," Guardiola said. "Right now, I am interested in other things, life will take me where it takes me. There are other things aside from football."

But the 41 year-old speaks good English and is interested in the Premier League and eventually bringing his family to this country.

Di Matteo said: "He's the role model for our generation in terms of the success he's achieved in such a short period. His methods as well. I'm sure sooner or later he'll be back working again. History tells us it's difficult to replicate the culture of one club at a different club. He might be the first one to do it, but if you look back at history, it seems as if it's been different."

At an emotional press conference attended by eight Barcelona first-team players - Lionel Messi, who is close to Guardiola, later admitted he was too distraught to attend - the club conceded defeat in their attempts to persuade him to stay.

No one player has flourished more under Guardiola than Messi and asked about his absence, Guardiola indicated that his talisman was "present in spirit". Messi published on his Facebook page: "I want to thank Pep from the bottom of my heart for all he has given me. I prefer not to be there with him because of the strong emotions that I feel. I know the press will be looking for sad faces and that is something that I have decided not to show." Cesc Fabregas's sad face was on display. He joined at the start of last season to work for his boyhood idol and has seen him leave after one season.

Despite weeks of speculation and most supporters believing the club were trying to persuade him to change his mind, Guardiola revealed that the decision had been made with the club five months ago.

He said: "Between the end of October and the start of December I told the president that this was the end of my time at the club but I could not make it public, or tell the players. It would have been a mess if I had."

His right-hand man, Tito Vilanova, will take over and Guardiola added: "The players accepted the news with a lot of enthusiasm and that is a great sign. They are in good hands."