So why are Aymeric Laporte's superstar agents in Manchester?
Superstar, we hear you say? Well, the Athletic Bilbao defender has signed with the newly-launched management firm of Barcelona legends Carles Puyol and Ivan de la Pena. So, if there's one club Laporte will leave Bilbao for, it's going to be Barca, right?
And Barca are keen. Robert Fernandez, the club's sports director, is in agreement with his predecessor, Andoni Zubizarreta: Laporte is the 'lefty' Barca need. With doubts persisting over the long-term fitness of Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu having fallen out of favour with coach Luis Enrique, finding a left-sided, ball-playing centre-half is a priority - and Laporte fits the bill.
"Barcelona have won almost everything in recent years," says the 21 year-old Frenchman. "It's a dream, which everyone wants."
The great irony is that those on Barca's scouting team see Laporte as the closest thing in Spain to former captain Puyol.
"When we talk about Puyol, we talk about a legend of football," adds Laporte.
"To play for Barca, you are the envy of all."
But now, Puyol - and his former Barca teammate De la Pena - are in Manchester drumming up business on behalf of their star client. The odds of Laporte choosing England over Barca as his next destination are getting shorter by the day.
Intermediaries tell Tribalfootball.com the key reason is Laporte's new contract - signed at the end of last season. The deal includes a buyout clause of €50 million, while Fernandez has been informed by his board they won't consider going higher than €40 million.
Puyol and De la Pena know the situation - and also Athletic president Josu Urrutia. When it comes to transfer negotiations, Urrutia is among the toughest in the game - you only need to ask those involved in Ander Herrera's on-off... -on move to Manchester United to realise why Laporte's minders are now seeking alternatives.
But at €50 million, is Laporte worth it? That Barca's coaching staff see him as the 'new Puyol' is a decent endorsement. However, Marcelo Bielsa, Athletic's former coach is happy to go further, describing the Frenchman's game as flawless.
"He's a great player. He has all the qualities, I can't recall a defect in his game that I can point to," says the Argentine, who had two years working with Laporte.
"He's quick, has a good character, competitive and technically of a very high level."
Adds Bielsa, "I really hope he's extremely lucky in his career."
Certainly, Laporte has had some luck finding the agents he has. But it's not as if he wasn't on the radar of the industry's heavy hitters.
They all tried for him: Pere Guardiola, Jorge Mendes and Gines Carvajal. He came close to signing with Arturo Canales, who took good friend Herrera from Bilbao to United, but didn't see any advantage at the time of joining someone with connections to the Premier League.
Since arriving in Bilbao five years ago, Laporte and his family were happy to lean on a local lawyer to take care of his contract. But this season, the situation has clearly changed and he agreed to join Puyol and De la Pena's stable just before Christmas.
The Manchester City link is obvious: Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Laporte and wanted to bring him to Bayern Munich last summer. Txiki Begiristain, City's sports director, knows all about the defender from his time in charge of Barca. And with injury clouds hanging over Victor Kompany, Martin Demichelis sure to leave at season's end - and possibly followed by Eliaquim Mangala - the need for a new centre-half in Laporte's mould is clear.
At United, the ties don't begin and end with Herrera. Laporte signed an endorsement deal with adidas in June, which added fuel to the speculation of a move last summer to Bayern.
But with United and Laporte now sharing the same stable, adidas execs will be encouraged to see a deal done.
"I've heard about these rumours for years," says Laporte.
"I joined Athletic to grow. The club has believed in me - that's why I agreed to the new contract. Both sides are happy with this. I have a contract to 2019 and a buyout clause of €50 million."
Which just may see Barca sidelined as United and City jockey - with all their spending power - to convince Laporte to make England his next destination.
