Manchester City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, is set to depart the club at the end of the season.
The 60-year-old Spaniard, who joined City in 2012, played a key role in bringing Pep Guardiola to the club as manager in 2016.
A former teammate of Guardiola at Barcelona and for the Spain national team, Begiristain was also instrumental in appointing Guardiola as Barcelona’s manager in 2008 during his time as the club’s director of football.
Guardiola has frequently praised Begiristain for his behind-the-scenes work, particularly in City’s recruitment efforts. Sources have informed BBC Sport that this will be his final season at the club.
This development comes as Guardiola enters the final months of his current contract.
When asked about his own future ahead of City’s 3-2 win over Fulham, Guardiola said, “I said at the beginning [of the season that] I’m not going to talk about this subject. What will happen will happen.”
Under the partnership of Begiristain, Guardiola, and chief executive Ferran Soriano, Manchester City has dominated English football, winning six of the last seven Premier League titles.
Their record-breaking run of four consecutive titles and their 2023 Treble triumph, which included their first Champions League title, cemented their place in history.
This announcement comes in the same week as the ruling in City’s legal case against the Premier League over rules related to commercial deals involving club owners, with both sides claiming victory.
However, this case is separate from the ongoing Premier League disciplinary investigation into 115 charges against City for alleged financial regulation breaches dating back to 2009.