Hugo Viana identified by Manchester City as ‘favourite’ to replace Txiki Begiristain in director of football role | OneFootball

Manchester City have identified Sporting CP’s director of football as their ‘favourite candidate’ to replace Txiki Begiristain in 2025, it has been revealed.

The Etihad Stadium’s long-standing director of football is expected to leave the club at end of this season, according to various reports, with the now-60-year-old having originally planned to step back from day-to-day operations at the club when he turned 55.

Ultimately, Begiristain became so invested in the Manchester City project and working alongside Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium that he extended his stay with the club until his 60th birthday – which was reached in August.

One report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein highlights that the decision to leave was made with full knowledge and endorsement of Manchester City’s hierarchy, while the Premier League champions are said to have reached an agreement to appoint a replacement.

With the successor to Begiristain expected to start his new role at Manchester City in early 2025, a new report has highlighted who is at the very top of the Premier League champions’ list to take on the reigns so successfully held by the former Barcelona player.

According to the information of Fabrizio Romano, Sporting CP’s current director of football Hugo Viana is now Manchester City’s ‘favourite candidate’ to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain in 2025.

Reports in 2022, around the time of Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 meeting with Sporting Lisbon, claimed that Viana was part of the Portuguese club’s officials who had a meal with City’s Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain at Tast Catala in Manchester.

Having retired from his professional playing career in October 2016 aged 33, having played for the likes of Newcastle United, Sporting CP, and Valencia, Viana was appointed as director of football at Belenenses in May 2017, leaving his post just six months later.

Returning to Sporting in 2018, Viana took up the same role of director of football, and has overseen a number of success stories and major signings, including the likes of Manuel Ugarte from Familicao, Pedro Porro from Manchester City, and Viktor Gyökeres from Coventry City.