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'I don't think Guardiola knows they hired me!' - Porro claims he's never spoken to Manchester City boss
The Spanish defender has found opportunities hard to come by at Etihad Stadium, and looks likely to move on to pastures new this summer
Manchester City outcast Pedro Porro has claimed that he's never spoken to Pep Guardiola, while hinting that he is on the verge of completing a permanent move to Sporting CP.
City forked out £11 million ($15m) to bring Porro to Etihad Stadium from Girona in 2019, and immediately sent him out on loan to Real Valladolid to continue his development.
The 21-year-old returned to Manchester last summer after struggling for regular minutes at Valladolid, with Sporting subsequently snapping him up on a two-year loan deal, and the Portuguese club now look set to buy the right-back outright.
What's been said?
Porro signed a five-year contract upon his initial arrival at City, but has yet to see a single minute of competitive action for the club.
The Spain international says he hasn't had any contact with Guardiola during his time on the Manchester outfit's books, and has even suggested that the head coach remains unaware of his presence.
"No, I've never talked to Pep Guardiola. I don't think he even knows they hired me (laughs)," Porro said during an interview with Portuguese publication A Bola.
"But they must be aware of what I've been doing."
Will Porro leave City this summer?
Goal reported in April that Sporting were planning to trigger the €8.5 million buy-out clause in Porro's contract.
The Primeira Liga champions are being tipped to tie the defender down to a permanent four-year deal in the coming days, and he gave a clear indication that the switch from City is imminent when quizzed on his future.
"I can't say anything, what I can tell you is that next [this] week there could be something big," said Porro.
Porro's record at Sporting
Sporting are eager to sign Porro after seeing him play a key role in their run to the league title last season.
The City loanee recorded three goals and three assists in 30 Primeira Liga appearances for Ruben Amorim's side, who ended up finished eight points clear of second-placed Porto.
Porro also won the best defender of the month awards in Portugal for November, December and January, and scored the winning goal in Sporting's Allianz Cup final win against Braga.
