Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim has responded to rumours linking him with a potential move to Manchester City.
Multiple reports, including one from The Guardian, have claimed that the Citizens are 'strongly considering' Amorim as their next manager if current boss Pep Guardiola leaves at the end of the season.
Guardiola will see his contract expire in the summer of 2025 and he recently stated that he "still need to reflect and decide" whether he wishes to stay at the Etihad Stadium, admitting that
"anything can happen in life".
It is understood that Guardiola is leaning towards extending his contract at Man City after being sounded out by the Football Association over taking the England job, which has since been claimed by Thomas Tuchel.
However, the possibility of Guardiola leaving Man City still remains and the Catalan coach may decide to take another sabbatical, as he did when he left Barcelona in 2012 before joining Bayern Munich a year later.
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Could Amorim reunite with Viana at Man City?
Amorim has emerged as a potential successor to Guardiola at Man City following the appointment of Sporting Lisbon's Hugo Viana as their new director of football - the 41-year-old will replace Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season.
Viana and Amorim have a close working relationship which was formed in 2020 when the latter was appointed head coach at Sporting, who have won two Primeira Liga titles in the last four years.
Speaking to Portuguese news outlet Cabine Desportiva about the possibility of reuniting with Viana in England, Amorim said: "Hugo Viana wants to win more than everyone at Man City.
"Hugo Viana and me, we have different and separate paths. We just have a professional relationship, which will not last forever.
"His appointment doesn't mean that I'm going to Man City. We have a very good professional relationship."
![Ruben Amorim during Supertaca Candido de Oliveira 2024 game between teams of Sporting CP and FC Porto at Estadio Municipal de Aveiro, Portugal on August 3, 2024 [on August 7, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/32/ruben-amorim.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Ruben Amorim during Supertaca Candido de Oliveira 2024 game between teams of Sporting CP and FC Porto at Estadio Municipal de Aveiro, Portugal on August 3, 2024 [on August 7, 2024]")
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Amorim plays down Man City links
Amorim added: "Nothing about Sporting has changed. Nothing. Everything remains the same until the end of the season.
"Obviously, Viana, during City's week (Sporting's Champions League clash with Man City on November 5), won't be available to enter the dressing room. I'm going to leave him out, to avoid conflicts. Otherwise, everything will stay the same until the end of the season."
Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany recently talked up the success and pragmatism of Amorim, but he has questioned whether the Portuguese would be the right man to succeed Guardiola.
Amorim has regularly been linked with a possible move to the Premier League and was strongly tipped to join Liverpool in the summer before they opted to replace Jurgen Klopp with Arne Slot.
Recent reports have linked the 39-year-old with Manchester United amidst uncertainty over the future of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, while both Chelsea and West Ham United have previously been credited with an interest.
Amorim, who has won an impressive 71.37% of his 234 matches in charge of Sporting, is under contract at Estadio Jose Alvalade until the summer of 2026.
Oliver Thomas
