Man City make instant move to replace Begiristain as ex-Newcastle ace emerges as favourite

Manchester City already know who they want to replace the departing Txiki Begiristain as the club's new director of football.

Begiristain has spent a successful 12 years with the club, winning seven Premier League titles and one Champions League - the latter part of a league and cup treble in 2023.

It was revealed earlier on Tuesday afternoon that Begiristain is set to step down from his role at the end of the season.

The decision is believed to have the full backing of the club's hierarchy, with Begiristain having made it clear he wasn't keen to work beyond his 60th birthday.

Begiristain turned 60 in August, with City believed to have sounded out his replacement, who is likely to start work in the new year.

It's a move that will see Begiristain's successor shadow him for six months, before taking the reins ahead of what could be a pivotal summer transfer window.

According to reports, that man could be current Sporting CP DoF Hugo Viana.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed the 41-year-old is top of City's list, having impressed in the role with Portuguese giants Sporting.

Viana took over as DoF at Sporting in 2018 and has overseen plenty of prosperous transfer deals, including the £17.5million purchase of striker Viktor Gyokeres from EFL Championship side Coventry City - a player who is now valued at close to £60m.

Other success stories include the purchases of Ousmane Diomande and Morten Hjulmand - two players currently linked with moves to the Premier League.

Viana also boasts an impressive track record of overseeing player sales, with the top three record departures for Sporting coming during his time as DoF.

The Lisbon-based side sold current City ace Matheus Nunes to Wolves for £38m in 2023, with Manuel Ugarte (£50m) and Bruno Fernandes (£47m) having both left for Manchester United.

Sporting ended their 20-year wait for a Portuguese league title during Viana's tenure, with Ruben Amorim's side winning the 2020/21 and 2023/24 championships.

The Sporting executive had been touted with a move to Liverpool during the summer when the Merseyside outfit were linked with Ruben Amorim as a possible Jurgen Klopp replacement.

But perhaps most importantly, City already have an existing working relationship with Viana.

It was reported by Portuguese outlet Record in 2019 that the Blues had entered an 'alliance' with Sporting regarding a scouting and player development partnership - a deal that was originally struck up by soon-to-be-ex-Dof Begiristain

As a player, Viana enjoyed somewhat of a journeyman career, which included a four-year stint at Premier League Newcastle United.

Although, the Barcelos-born star spent the majority of his time contracted to the North East outfit out on loan, having failed to settle at St. James' Park.

Perhaps the most memorable moment from his spell with Newcastle came off the pitch, when a young fan found the midfielder's wedding ring in a local park.

Viana made his Portugal debut in 2001 and notched up an impressive 29 caps which included squad appearances at four major tournaments.