Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola could be on his way to Manchester City because of a series of disagreements with key players at the Bavarian side, reports the Daily Express.
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The former Barcelona boss guided the German outfit to the Bundesliga title this season, but failed to win both the DFB-Pokal Cup and the Champions League.
Fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund knocked them out of the former competition on penalties in the semi finals, and Barcelona beat them 5-3 on aggregate at the same stage in Europe. With the domestic league a minimum at the Allianz Arena this can be considered a major disappointment.
There has also been a lack of improvement from the team since Guardiola joined. The 44-year-old was always going to find it difficult to follow Jupp Heynckes, who won the treble in his final year. However, recurring problems have been evident in the last two campaigns.
On both occasions Bayern have won the league early and then slipped up in Europe without competitive matches every week to keep them sharp.
Now, things have been compounded by a breakdown in the relationship between the manager and some of his key players.
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller are both in the Spaniard’s bad books, and the report even thinks that he could sell one or both of the pair to Manchester United.
The Daily Mirror has linked the Red Devils to both of the players as they look to build on their fourth-place Premier League finish last season.
This in turn has worried the club hierarchy, and it may be that they sack the coach before losing the Germany internationals.
If this happens then Man City are keen to appoint the Catalan. Their director of football, Txiki Begiristain, worked with him at the Camp Nou and they were very successful together, winning every possible competition. This relationship has led to links in the past, as the Daily Mirror noted in 2012.
With current boss Manuel Pellegrini under pressure because of a campaign without a trophy, it could be that the Citizens finally get their wish and sign a high-profile replacement for the Chilean.