Manchester City's director of football will leave at the end of the season and Pep Guardiola could follow him
Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain will leave his role at the end of the season, talkSPORT understands.
City have already secured a replacement for Begiristain and this person will take over in early 2025.
talkSPORT also understands that Begiristain's departure has been planned for some time.
It's also a decision that could have a bigger impact given that Pep Guardiola's contract expires at the end of the season.
The internal expectation at the start of the campaign was that it would be Guardiola's last season at the Etihad Stadium, although City are interested in tying him down to a new contract.
However, with the departure of Begiristain, a close friend of Guardiola for decades, in May, talkSPORT understands he will be a factor in the City manager's decision-making process.
Begiristain leaves having played a pivotal role behind the scenes in establishing City as one of the best teams in Europe.
During Begiristain's tenure, City won seven Premier League titles, two FA Cups, six League Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and one Club World Cup.
City manager Guardiola, who worked closely with the 60-year-old when they were both at Barcelona, spoke of his admiration for Begiristain in January this year.
“Txiki has been enormously important at this club,” Guardiola said.
“He was here before I arrived and was stable at the club. He has been very important in these years and part of the enormous success we have had in terms of results and many things, has been very important.
“I ask him to take responsibility with the media, to talk a little, but he is very shy. He wants to be behind the scenes so that all the shots and weapons are directed at me. But it was the same in Barcelona.
Begiristain joined City in October 2012, having previously worked as technical director of Barcelona from 2008 to 2010.
News of the 60-year-old's departure at the end of the season comes amid City's ongoing legal battle with the Premier League.
City claimed a Premier League victory on Monday when it was ruled that the defending champions were unfairly prevented from landing two big sponsorship deals earlier this year.
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The verdict was based on governance that stated that commercial agreements between clubs and companies related to club ownership must have a fair market value.
City had already taken legal action against the Premier League this year over its associated party transaction (APT) rules as anti-competitive.
The Premier League had previously rejected a sponsorship deal City had signed with Etihad in 2023 along with a deal with an Abu Dhabi-based bank.
The city is 81 percent owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
The Premier League champions are aiming for a fifth consecutive league title, having achieved the unprecedented accolade of four consecutive titles last season.
