Manchester City Transfer News: Rui Patricio Rumours Emerge After Joe Hart Axing

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly stepping up his hunt for Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper Rui Patricio after dropping regular No. 1 Joe Hart for Saturday's 2-1 win over Sunderland.

Willy Caballero started in place of Hart for Guardiola's Premier League debut, and Duncan Castles reported for the Daily Record that attempts to bring Patricio to the Etihad Stadium will be intensified.

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It's suggested Guardiola is seeking a goalkeeping option with more technical, on-the-ball ability, and Patricio has been mentioned as one of the options in front of the Citizens in the transfer market this summer.

The 28-year-old was a stingy figure in-between the posts for Portugal as they ran to the UEFA Euro 2016 title earlier this summer, and he was an ever-present figure for the eventual tournament champions:

According to Castles, Barcelona stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be Guardiola's preferred investment, but the Blaugrana won't let the German leave unless his €80 million (£69.1 million) release clause is met.

There's a potential complication with Guardiola's intentions, though, after some City fans voiced their support for the dropped Hart on Saturday, according to Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News:

Whereas Ter Stegen is contending against Claudio Bravo for the starting spot at the Camp Nou, Patricio is very much the primary option for both club and country, and Sporting may not be willing negotiators.

Castles reported the Portugal general has a €45 million (£38.8 million) buyout clause in his contract with the Lisbon outfit, and Goal's Ives Galarcep stated his belief the Sporting star would make for a valuable purchase:

Patricio has spent his entire professional career with Sporting and first joined the capital club's academy in 2000 before making the step up to their first team a decade ago.

Even Caballero was surprised to be handed the starting spot under countryman Guardiola on Saturday, and he told BT Sport the display was all about seizing his rare opportunity:

Guardiola may yet decide to keep his faith in Hart and merely jostle between him and the Spaniard Caballero, although he's already gone about reinventing the rest of the squad in his image.

Hart's footwork doesn't appear to be up to par in the mind of his manager, and European champion Patricio appears to fit the bill in Guardiola's mind.