Man City remain confident that Pep Guardiola will extend his stay past this season – and insist they were NOT lining up Man United-bound Ruben Amorim as his replacement

Manchester City remain hopeful that Pep Guardiola will extend his stay at the club – and are adamant that they did not line up soon-to-be Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim as a potential replacement.

Amorim, set to take over after the sacking of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford after the club made contact with Sporting Lisbon and expressed a willingness to meet his £8.31m release clause, had been linked with taking over across Manchester should Guardiola decide to leave at the end of the season.

Indeed, United chief executive Omar Berrada – influential in the swoop for the Portuguese – joined from City in the summer and is thought to have been aware of early contingency plans.

But insiders at the Etihad, where Amorim’s sporting director Hugo Viana will arrive to replace outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain at the conclusion of the campaign, have insisted Amorim was not on any list.

While wary of putting pressure on Guardiola, their preference is that the Catalonian extends his trophy-laden stay with the club – a stance first reported by Mail Sport in May.

The club have insisted that Manchester United-bound Ruben Amorim (left) was not an option to take over

Amorim is set to leave Sporting Lisbon to become the new United manager following the sacking of Erik ten Hag

Sources say that, even if Guardiola were to leave, they would then seek someone whose style of play and tactics are compatible. Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is well thought of.

As revealed on Tuesday, Amorim’s contract has a notice period which runs to ‘a number of weeks rather than days’. As such, United were locked in talks over the issue on Tuesday night.

Ideally, they would like the 39-year-old in place for their clash with Chelsea on Sunday. However, should no agreement be found, their trip to Ipswich Town on November 24 – after the international break – could see him Amorim in the United dugout for the first time.