Manchester City are in talks with Saint Etienne about a partnership agreement.
City have become more active in the French transfer market over the past 12 months and have Marcos Lopes currently playing on-loan with Lille.
Le Progres says City officials were in France this week for talks with Saint Etienne over a partnership arrangement, which could see their academy players spend time with the Ligue 1 club on-loan.
For the moment, negotiations have centred on coaching exchanges and talks will continue next week.
City's EDS coach Patrick Vieira is sure to be driving the agreement, with the Frenchman having also been at the centre of the club's partnership with Sweden's Djurgardens.
