Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has once again been linked with the Manchester City job, despite chiefs at the deposed Premier League champions insisting that they have faith in current manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Reports from beIN Sports in the United Arab Emirates - the home of City's billionaire owners - claim that Guardiola will leave the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season in order to take over at the Etihad.
The global sports channel's Arabic account tweeted on Saturday: "Urgent - sources beIN SPORTS: Manchester City reached a tentative agreement with Bayern Munich coach Guardiola to train the team for next season."
The former Barcelona man has been linked with the club since he left the Catalan club, and a series of poor results for Bayern has seen some question his future in Bavaria, despite their domestic success and progression to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Despite this speculation, Spanish football expert Guillem Balagué has denounced the story as "pure imagination and fiction" on Twitter - though former SkySports pundit Richard Keys maintains it to be true.
However, links between Guardiola and the Citizens' hierarchy means that such reports are unlikely to go away, despite the 44-year-old being under contract with Bayern until next season.
City directors Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain held the same positions during Guardiola's time with Barcelona, and are said to favour the addition of a manager who shares the same footballing ideology.