Jordi Alba could leave Barcelona because he “does not want Juan Carlos Unzue” to become the new manager.
According to reports in Spain, the 28-year-old has held talks with Pep Guardiola over a summer switch.
Luis Enrique is stepping down as Barca boss at the end of the season, with the club locked in a fraught battle with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
And his replacement could be Enrique’s assistant Unzue, who it seems Alba does not fancy as a Barcelona manager, but it is not clear why according to a story on Don Balon.
The two clubs are level on points and the Catalan club have two games left, with Real still on three to play – but Barca have a vastly superior goal difference.
Alba joined from Valencia in 2012 and the left back could become the perfect signing for Guardiola, with Gael Clichy failing to impress in the position at City this season.
The former Bayern Munich and Barca coach is determined to overhaul his defence and wants the full-back positions to play to his tactical specifications – often slotting inwards to midfield rather than bombing up the wings.
Alba did not play for Barcelona under Guardiola, the pair only missed each other by a few months, as the 46-year-old took a sabbatical for a year before joining Bayern and then City last summer.
Alba said this week he thought current and former team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi should have won the Ballon d’Or.
He said: “I don’t know who decides the Ballon d’Or winner, or the best in the world.
“Everybody has their own opinion. At one point, Xavi or Iniesta should have won it.
“You know my opinion, because to me, Leo Messi is the best player in the world.
“Cristiano is a great player who scores many goals, he’s a genius, if I said it any other way I’d be lying.
“To watch on the pitch, I think people prefer Leo, it doesn’t matter which team you support.”