Ruben Amorim’s favorite admits he is ‘hoping’ for Man City transfer after Pep chat

Manchester City could be getting a little sparkle from Sporting Lisbon ace Maximiliano Araujo, who, fresh off his dazzling display in Portugal, hinted at wanting to join the sky-blue ranks of Pep Guardiola.

The Uruguayan sensation has been setting the pitch alight this season following his switch from Deportivo Toluca including a blinder in Sporting’s jaw-dropping 4-1 Champions League triumph over City – a match that marked Ruben Amorim’s final home hurrah at the helm.

Chuffed with his performance, Araujo open up on his chat with Guardiola post-match and how he’s got sights set on City’s Etihad. After jetting to South America for international duties, he said: “I hope so, I hope so..

“I asked him [Guardiola] for a photo, we talked for a few minutes and he congratulated me. I’m very happy about that. We talked about the game, nothing more.”

“I’m happy to be getting a lot of minutes at my club. I think I’m adapting well and it’s not always easy.

“It’s this kind of thing that makes us admire players like Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Ugarte, because playing in Europe is complicated. But I’m adapting very well,” reports the Mirror.

He then reflected on his early struggles, saying, “It [the move] cost me a bit at first, the team was already set up, but now I’m getting some space. I’ve played several games as a starter and that’s important to me.”

Araujo, 24, has nearly five years left on his contract in Portugal. Prior to his move to Sporting, he was rumoured to be heading to Spanish giants Barcelona. If Araujo does make a switch to Manchester soon, he would be the second Sporting star to do so.

Former boss Ruben Amorim recently left the club for City’s rivals Manchester United. He’s been linked with bringing several Sporting stars to Old Trafford, including top forward Viktor Gyokeres.

However, Amorim has vowed not to poach from his old team until at least next summer. After his last game with the team, he stated: “I won’t be signing [Sporting players] in January, that’s what I said. I don’t know about the summer.

“The main thing is to hold on until the summer [laughs]. After that, we’ll see, Sporting’s players are very good players. I don’t know. We’ll see.”