According to reports, incoming Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana’s ‘first big signing’ could be an ‘ideal replacement’ for Erling Haaland.
It is being widely reported that Sporting Lisbon chief Viana is the leading contender to replace Man City director of football Txiki Begiristain, who is set to leave the club at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
On Thursday morning, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed why he’s “not surprised” Viana is the “big favourite” to replace Begiristain.
Romano said: “He’s a strong candidate and has a very good chance to replace Begiristain at City. He’s done an excellent job in Portugal, signing players like Viktor Gyokeres and Ousmane Diomande, so he’s a very talented director.
“I can confirm that contacts are already ongoing, so keep an eye on this one as it looks like Viana has a good chance of becoming a new key figure behind the scenes at Manchester City. I rate him really highly and so I’m not surprised to be told about him being favourite for the job.
“Txiki Begiristain is a world class director, one of the best in history, he made incredible things in Spain and then he built this City masterpiece with Pep and Ferran Soriano, so it’s a big blow for City, for sure, but I’m also sure they know how to replace him in the best way possible.”
READ: Ranking Man City favourite Hugo Viana’s top ten transfers at Sporting Lisbon
Viano is expected to be busy in the coming months as it’s been suggested that Pep Guardiola’s exit could lead to more key assets leaving next year.
Haaland has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world since joining Man City in 2022 for around £51m from Borussia Dortmund. He has 101 goals in his 108 appearances for the Premier League champions across all competitions.
The forward’s future appears to be in doubt at the moment as he is being heavily linked with Barcelona, who are in the market for a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski.
A report in Spain claims Haaland’s exit would be ‘almost inevitable’ if Guardiola decides to leave upon the expiry of his contract next year.
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Haaland’s potential exit reportedly makes Viana ‘very interested’ in making Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres his ‘first star signing’.
The Sweden international left Coventry City to join Sporting Lisbon during the 2023 summer transfer window for around £15m.
Gyokeres has been sensational for Sporting Lisbon since the start of last season. He’s currently clear of Haaland as the top scorer in Europe this year.
Man City’s reported interest in Gyokeres is understandable, but they are said to be facing competition from Barcelona in the race to sign him.
The report in Spain also claims Barcelona are ‘considering sacrificing’ Raphinha to raise funds for signings and could ‘request’ 90 million euros (£75m) as his immense start to the season has raised his valuation.
Gyokeres, Haaland and Isak are ‘on their agenda’ as replacements for Lewandowski, while head coach Hansi Flick is ‘in favour of betting on’ Florian Wirtz or Jamal Musiala instead of Nico Williams.
