Begiristain set to leave Manchester City after season, Viana tipped to come in
Txiki Begiristain, a Spaniard who has held the post since 2012, has already made his decision to leave the club, according to the same source.
The Athletic reports that Begiristain had already planned to leave Manchester City on his 55th birthday, but his commitment to the Citizens' project and working with Pep Guardiola has led him to extend the deadline until his 60th birthday.
In August this year, Begiristain will turn 60 and, as such, he will leave his post vacant.
It's worth remembering that five years ago the manager was close to stepping down, but ended up staying on in order to maintain his support for his compatriot and friend Pep Guardiola.
"He's a great friend and we've known each other for 25 or 30 years. He's very calm and that balance makes our work together perfect," Guardiola revealed in January.
Txiki Begiristain was a Spanish international striker who was Barcelona's sporting director from 2003 to 2010 and, in 2012, took over the same position at Manchester City.
Viana tipped to succeed Begiristain
Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Begiristain will be succeeded by Hugo Viana.
At Portuguese club Sporting since 2018/2019, Viana has been in the spotlight in recent years for the excellent work he has done with the team led by Ruben Amorim.
Romano recalls the signings of Victor Gyokeres, Ousmane Diomande and Morten Hjulmand as justification for the fact that Viana is now the favourite to succeed Begiristain.
Viana, it should be noted, spent time in England as a player, when he moved from Sporting to Newcastle in 2022/2003.
As a sporting director, he had experience at Belenenses between 2017 and 2018, before Sporting.