Hugo Viana set to transfer priceless relationship with super-agent to Manchester City transfer business | OneFootball

Manchester City supporters could be set to see an increased level of transfer business between the club and football super-agent, Jorge Mendes.

It was confirmed last weekend that Manchester City would be undergoing a major change following the conclusion of the ongoing season, with long-standing Director of Football Txiki Begiristain ending his tenure at the club after 12 years.

Citing personal reasons in private, and a desire to step back from the intensity of day-to-day football operations, Begiristain and Manchester City have already reached an agreement with the Spaniard’s successor.

Sporting CP’s highly-rated sporting director Hugo Viana will be taking on the role from the summer of 2025, initially embarking on a transitional phase by working alongside Begiristain, who hopes to start that relationship from February.

Having worked on some of the best transfer deals in recent years at the Portuguese giants, both in the way of incomings and sanctioned departures from Ruben Amorim’s squad, a new report has revealed one key relationship that could now transfer over to the Etihad with Viana.

That is according to the information of MailSport’s Sami Mokbel, who states that Hugo Viana’s appointment as City’s incoming Director of Football has since raised ‘industry whispers’ about the influence super-agent Jorge Mendes will have on the club’s future transfer business.

The 41-year-old Sporting CP director is known to have a close relationship with Mendes, and as such the report states an expectation within the game that Mendes will become more active with Manchester City deals.

The Etihad Stadium are not new to any involvement with Jorge Mendes, with current stars including Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Matheus Nunes all listed amongst Gestifute’s client list – the agency founded by the iconic agent.

The same report does point towards a further shortlist of emerging talents within the game that could perk Manchester City’s interest, including Lamine Yamal, Warren Zaire-Emery and Joao Neves.

Friday afternoon brought about the first opportunity for Pep Guardiola to reflect on his working relationship and the legacy left behind by Txiki Begiristain, when the 60-year-old finalises his exit from the club next summer.

Commenting on his personal relations with a figure who shared experiences at FC Barcelona with the Manchester City manager, Guardiola also pointed towards Begiristain’s invaluable ability to keep him calm during challenging moments.

“A part of me is leaving, I would say. A friend of mine, one of the architects to create one of the best teams ever in Barcelona at that time, and now here. I’ve known the decision for a long time, for family reasons and personal reasons, I know how grateful he is for this experience here,” Guardiola said this week.

“Personally he will be missed, but of course he will be missed a lot, for the confidence, the trust, especially in bad moments because he made me incredible balanced in my job because I’m so energetic.

“When it’s going bad I want to destroy everything, and all the time he said, ‘See you tomorrow, take a coffee’. And his balance to be completely crazy in other ones, his pause helped me lot in my period in Barcelona and of course, here.”