Agents offer insider view on Manchester City’s Hugo Viana during transfer negotiations amid squad rebuild | OneFootball

The insider view on Manchester City’s Hugo Viana has been detailed by agents in a wide-ranging report on the Etihad Stadium’s ongoing period of transition.

City’s evolution has been a prominent subplot of their on-pitch rebuild, with attention placed on how the club operates in the transfer market following a period of significant change behind the scenes.

As Pep Guardiola oversees a reshaping of his first-team squad in light of high-profile departures of club legends including Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, the structure above him is also adapting to a new leadership dynamic.

The appointment of Hugo Viana as the Etihad Stadium’s new sporting director, succeeding Txiki Begiristain, has been viewed internally as a pivotal moment, particularly given the need to balance continuity with renewal.

Manchester City are entering a phase where several figures face uncertain futures including manager Guardiola, while younger profiles are being targeted to refresh the squad. And with negotiations taking place across multiple fronts over the last 12 months and relationships established with agents, the perception of Viana within the industry has emerged.

That is according to a wide-ranging report from BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, who reveals that former Manchester City sporting director Begiristain hand-picked Hugo Viana from Portuguese giants Sporting as his successor.

The pair are said to have combined to ultimately secure the £20 million signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this year, with the groundwork for a deal started by Begiristain and executed by Viana.

The Portuguese official is ‘forging relationships’ with Pep Guardiola and CEO Ferran Soriano at the Etihad Stadium, and are already ‘on a strong footing’, while agents have also spoken positively of their dealings with Viana, describing him as ‘straightforward and courteous’.

Those descriptions align closely with Manchester City’s long-established operational ethos, where long-term planning is prioritised over short-term opportunism, and the successful completion of the Guehi deal has already been cited as an early example of how the transition between Begiristain and Viana has been carefully managed.

Looking ahead, Hugo Viana’s growing influence is expected to become more visible as Manchester City continue to address multiple positional needs, from defensive depth to attacking support in the summer market.

With Pep Guardiola’s future beyond the upcoming summer remaining a background consideration and one that continues to dominate headlines at present, ensuring stability at sporting director level is viewed as essential to maintaining competitiveness.

If early agent feedback is any indication, Manchester City believe they have found a figure capable of sustaining their elite recruitment model during a delicate rebuild phase.