Manchester City have agreed a deal that will see Sporting’s Hugo Viana take over from Txiki Begiristain as a new era dawns at the Etihad Stadium.
Begiristain, heralded as one of the best sporting directors in European football, will leave the Premier League champions at the end of the season.
Mail Sport reported his likely departure in the summer and City have been sounding out potential successors for some time.
Viana, the former Newcastle United midfielder, topped the list after impressing during his six years at Sporting while working with manager Ruben Amorim.
Sporting have won two of the last four Portuguese titles and are top of the league this season with eight consecutive wins.
Manchester City have agreed a deal that will see Sporting’s Hugo Viana take over from Txiki Begiristain as a new era dawns at the Etihad Stadium
Begiristain (far right), who has held the role since 2012, will step down at the end of the season
Viana impressed after working alongside the highly regarded Ruben Amorim at Sporting
Pep Guardiola’s own future is unclear with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season
Viana played 56 games for Newcastle United in the early 2000s
Intriguingly, they play host to Pep Guardiola’s City in the Champions League group stage early next month and Viana’s transfer is expected to be completed before then.
The 41-year-old’s decision to pay more than £10 million to sign Amorim from Braga in 2020 was seen as the catalyst for their dominance.
City want the new sporting director to be given a six-month transfer window alongside Begiristain before the Spaniard leaves.
Guardiola’s own future still remains unresolved, with the 53-year-old’s contract set to expire at the end of the season.