Pep Guardiola Jokes With Jurgen Klopp That Liverpool & Manchester City Should Swap Trophies

During an awards evening on Sunday night, Pep Guardiola joked that he and Jurgen Klopp should swap trophies, with Manchester City desperate to win the Champions League, and Liverpool the Premier League. 

The Reds are currently in pole position to lift the Premier League title - a trophy that has eluded them since the competition's inception in 1992 - and sit nine points clear of title rivals City.

They earned a club record 97 points last season but were still a point behind City, who won their last 14 matches of the Premier League campaign on their way to glory.

​Liverpool managed to put their domestic heartbreak to one side when they won their sixth European Cup, beating ​Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid in June.

During the Football Writers' Association northern branch managers' awards dinner at the weekend, an event attended by both Klopp and Guardiola, the ​Liverpool Echo report that the pair were in good spirits and joking with one another.

Both Liverpool and City's respective silverware from last season graced the table, with Guardiola enviously looking towards the Champions League trophy - a much-craved piece of silverware at the Etihad - and commenting that he and Klopp should exchange their cups.

"We really want this one and he [Klopp] really wants this one, maybe we can swap?” Guardiola joked.

The pair appeared to be in a jovial mood following their sides' 2-1 victories at the weekend, as was proven when Guardiola made another gag where he apologised for not owning his rival's 'beautiful smile'.

Both Klopp and Guardiola will undoubtedly be in a more serious mindset when their sides take to the field midweek, embarking on another Champions League matchday with qualification for the knockout stages in sight. Liverpool host a crunch clash with Napoli, while City face off against Shakhtar Donetsk.