Pep Guardiola says he would never coach Real Madrid and would never fit in at the Bernabeu

The Catalan coach was asked to cross the clásico divide by Florentino Perez in what would have been an extraordinary move

Pep Guardiola refused to deny that Real Madrid offered him the chance to take over at the Bernabeu last November , but revealed that he would never coach the club from the Spanish capital.

The man who created a dynasty at Barcelona and was a lifelong supporter of the Nou Camp club was contacted in the autumn about replacing a beleaguered Rafa Benitez, it was claimed by Guardiola’s biographer Marti Perarnau.

But Pep was quick to shut down the talk, although he didn’t comment on the claims themself.

“I am a Barcelona fan,” he said in Friday’s press conference.

“I don’t think Real Madrid needs a manager like me and I wouldn’t fit there either.”

With the 45-year-old’s intention of leaving Bayern Munich already known towards the end of 2015, there was a scramble among Premier League clubs in particular last season to secure the signature of the world’s best coach.

But, in an amazing twist, Florentino Perez attempted to lure him to the Bernabeu according to Perarnau.

“Real Madrid called Pep Guardiola to try and tempt him last November, before they sacked Benitez,” he revealed on Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

“Madrid contacted [Josep Maria] Orobitg, Guardiola’s agent, in order to try and contract him.

“But from the start it was out of the question. I was there.”

Madrid ended up sacking Benitez in early January , albeit without informing Rafa himself who had to find out via friends in the media trying to confirm the news.

The now-Newcastle manager was replaced by Zinedine Zidane , a promotion from within reminiscent of Guardiola’s rise through the Barcelona ranks and he matched the Catalan coach in winning the Champions League in his first season in charge.