- Pep Guardiola’s contract with Manchester City expires next summer
- Amorim has been linked with his replacement and has addressed the rumours
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Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has raised speculation that he could replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Guardiola’s contract with City expires at the end of the season and he is yet to commit his long-term future to the club.
If the Spaniard leaves the Etihad next summer, Amorim would be strongly considered for the position after impressing in Portugal.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed last week that Hugo Viana, Sporting’s current director of football, has agreed a deal to acquire Txiki Begiristain next year, and that Amorim has been linked with a move to England. But Amorim has denied he has decided to follow Viana to the Premier League.
“Hugo Viana and I have different and separate paths,” Amorim said Cabin Desportiva.
Ruben Amorim has broken his silence on his link with the Man City job
Pep Guardiola’s future is uncertain as his contract expires next summer
‘His appointment does not mean I will go to Manchester City. We have a very good professional relationship.’
Sporting and City meet in the Champions League next month and Amorim revealed that Viana will remain away from the team that week, but does not expect his relationship with the former Newcastle player to change for the rest of their time together in Portugal. .
‘Nothing has changed about Sporting. Nothing. Everything will remain the same until the end of the season,” he stressed.
‘It is clear that Viana will not be available to enter the dressing room during City week. I’m going to let him out to avoid conflict. Otherwise everything will remain the same until the end of the season.’
Amorim joined Sporting in 2020 and led them to their first league title since 2002 the following year.
He repeated the feat last season and Sporting have made the perfect start to the current campaign by winning all eight league matches to open a three-point lead at the top of the table.
But succeeding Guardiola would be a big ask given the Spanish manager’s unprecedented success at City.
Guardiola spoke out about his future at the weekend, claiming he has yet to decide whether he will stay at City beyond 2025.
Hugo Viana (pictured) has agreed to leave Sporting to become City’s sporting director next year, but Amorim has denied this means he will follow his compatriot
‘I haven’t decided anything yet, anything can happen. So I don’t know,” Guardiola said during an appearance on the chat show Che Tempo Che Fa.
“I still have to think and decide what I want to do.”
At the time of Guardiola’s comments, it appeared he was still in the running to potentially become England’s next manager.
However, the FA confirmed the appointment of Thomas Tuchel on an 18-month contract on Wednesday, with the German set to take up his post in January.