City have played without a recognised centre-forward throughout the 2021-22 season after record goalscorer Sergio Aguero departed last summer and Guardiola has been widely praised the way he has navigated the campaign.
CITY+ | SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling are just four of the players to lead the forward line to great effect for the Premier League leaders.
However, the Catalan reiterated that the Club have previously tried to sign a striker and expects to do so again, but ruled out bringing someone in merely to fill a position in the squad.
“I think the club definitely needs a striker,” he said ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby.
“We tried, but sometimes it’s not possible. We are not going to buy one for a number if they’re not going to give us something special.
“I am a guy who is comfortable when we have 14,15,16 players and after five or six in the academy.
“I love to work with that when everyone’s involved. It’s difficult for me to be manager with 18, 19, 20 top-class players with every weekend nine or ten on the bench. It’s impossible to handle it for a long, long time.
“We need a striker and I think the club is going to try. If it happens, it happens, but if it doesn’t, we’ll wait.”
Guardiola also revealed that his stance has not changed when it comes to making a decision on his future.
The 51-year-old’s current contract runs until the summer of 2023 and he has previously said he would not begin to think about what’s next until the end of the season.
That remains the case for the boss, who is happy at the Etihad Stadium, but says it is important to know that he and the players can still continue to work well together.
“In this world of football after six seasons here, it’s a lot of time,” he added.
“I’m not going to stay just to stay, I have to see if we can still do it together and everyone’s involved in that. That’s the most important thing.
“I have to feel it. That’s the reason why I extended the contract two times. When I arrived here, I didn’t expect it.
“I’m incredibly satisfied, I’m not here to move to another place. I have to feel that everybody, especially the players, are still comfortable working with me, still we can win and fight to win, you have to see it.
“For me it would be easy to sign three or four more years with a lot of money in the pocket and see what happens but that’s not the point.
“The point is still we are together and follow, and we will have to see it until the end of the season and next season.”
