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Is this the start of something new? At Manchester City, silence is starting to sound very loud. Guardiola is still under contract until 2027, but he keeps dodging questions about next season like a defender avoiding a red card. That has only fueled talk that he could walk away earlier than expected. Behind the scenes, City aren’t relaxing. Club chiefs, including Hugo Viana and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, have been quietly planning for life after Pep. And one name keeps popping up — Xabi Alonso. The