Man City News: Manuel Pellegrini Confirms Malaga Exit

has confirmed he will be leaving the Spanish club in the summer. His announcement now means a move to Manchester City as Roberto Mancini's replacement appears imminent, with his path to the Etihad now cleared. The 59-year old announced his departure at an awards ceremony and said:

"I am not leaving because of financial ambition, but because of a sporting project that will allow me to feel fulfilled. "On Sunday, I will take charge of my last match at the Rosaleda. Everyone has the right to follow their own path. "I would like to thank the owners of the club for putting their trust in me."

The former Villarreal and Real Madrid coach led Malaga to the quarter finals of this season's Champions League but were controversially knocked out be eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund. It was the Spanish side's first ever appearance in the competition with Pellegrini guiding them to a fourth placed finish in 2011/12 - his first full season in charge. Manchester City, the deposed Premier League champions, axed Mancini a week ago with two games of the campaign left to be played. The failure to defend the league title and embarrassing defeat to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup Final hastened his exit. Since then, Pellegrini has been heavily tipped to succeed him at the Etihad, and was quickly installed as the bookmaker's favourite to take over. Mancini's former assistant Brian Kidd is currently overseeing managerial duties on the club's post-season tour of America, where they will twice take on Europa League winners Chelsea. Pellegrini has taken charge of 10 teams in total throughout his career with the Chilean winning league titles in Ecuador and Argentina in that period. Current club Malaga have been banned from European competition next season due to their financial woes.