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PORTUGAL'S European Championship winning goalkeeper Rui Patricio has emerged as an alternative option to replace Joe Hart at Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola left Hart out of his first Premier League line-up as City manager today, some 24 hours after publicly questioning whether the England international was the best fit for his tactical plans.

Guardiola has consistently built his teams around goalkeepers who excel with the ball at their feet; an aspect of Hart's game which has never been a particular strength. Offered complete support in the transfer market in order to bring him to City, the Catalan has been working on recruiting a replacement for several months now.

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Barcelona have refused to sell Guardiola's preferred choice for the position, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, repeatedly referring their former coach to the Germany international's €80million (£69.1m) release clause.

(Image: AFP)

Ter Stegen has been sharing the Barca goalkeeper's jersey with Claudio Bravo since moving to the Camp Nou in a €12m transfer from Borussia Moenchengladbach two summers ago. The 24-year-old has made it clear to Barcelona that he does not want to endure a third season as their cup competition number one, and City have been told that he is ready to move to England if his status does not change.

The proposed switch, however, was further complicated when Ter Stegen damaged a knee ligament in training on Thursday. He is expected to require six weeks to recuperate.

Guardiola is a known admirer of Patricio, who is strong in every area expected of a modern keeper, and would be far cheaper to recruit than Ter Stegen. The 28-year-old has a €45m (£38.8m) buy out in his current deal at Sporting, and could be signed on a considerably lower salary than the German.

Also targeted by Everton's new manager Ronald Koeman, Patricio has been Sporting's first-choice goalkeeper for nine seasons and has played over 70 times in European club competition. An ever-present as Portugal won their first major trophy in France this summer, he has played 53 full internationals for his country, and has been their starter since the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

(Image: Reuters)

Guardiola chose Willy Caballero ahead of Hart for his first Premier League fixture against Sunderland on Saturday evening; a clear signal of his intention to make further changes to City's defence. "Willy played really good in pre-season, I trust him" explained Guardiola before kick-off. "Of course I trust in Joe as well, and I decide. I had to take a decision like any, and I take it."

Caballero, 34, is in his third campaign at City, where he was occasionally used by Guardiola's predecessor Manuel Pellegrini to place pressure on Hart. The Argentine's appearance against Sunderland was his just his sixth in England's elite division.

Asked about Hart's future earlier in the week, Guardiola said that he was "happy with his qualities, about his behaviour and what he means to this club", before adding that a final decision on the Englishman would be made "inside the doors".

(Image: AFP or licensors)

"Joe is a goalkeeper and with a goalkeeper I talk to him and said, "Here is the ball at your feet", and about what he has to do, rather than what he has to do with his hands" said Guardiola. "We have [goalkeeper coach] Xabi Mancisidor for that. So we have had a chat.

"He's comfortable [on the ball]. He has quality and he can do that - with time. I'm not saying he's unable to do it. Maybe there are other goalkeepers with more quality at that. But Joe, with training, he can do it - with time. But his time is now. It's not about what happens in six months, seven months".

City have already recruited one goalkeeper this summer, buying the highly regarded Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli out of third-party ownership before loaning the 24-year-old back to Real Sociedad, where he had spent the previous two seasons. The Spanish Liga club subsequently announced that City had agreed to convert Rulli's loan into a full transfer in January 2017.