Sporting Lisbon star Maxi Araujo has cheekily expressed his desire for a move to Manchester City.
The Uruguayan has shone for the Portuguese side this season following his arrival from Mexican side Deportivo Toluca. He has three goals so far - one of which coming in his side’s stunning 4-1 Champions League win against City, a game that represented Ruben Amorim’s final home game with the side.
And in the aftermath, Araujo has admitted that he had a brief conversation with Pep Guardiola and is eyeing a move to the Etihad Stadium in the future. Speaking after flying to South America ahead of international duty, 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."
And while Araujo is hoping to become a City player in the near future, he has underlined his happiness in Portugal. He added: "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.
"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 just under five years remaining on his contract in Portugal. Before his move to Sporting, the winger was linked with a move to Spanish side Barcelona.
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Should Araujo complete a switch to Manchester in the near future, he would be the second Sporting star to make the move. Ex-boss Ruben Amorim recently quit the club for City’s rivals Manchester United.
And he has been linked with taking a host of Sporting stars to Old Trafford including star forward Viktor Gyokeres. But Amorim has promised not to raid his former side until at least next summer.
Speaking after his final game with the side, he said: "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."
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