Barcelona Legend Andres Iniesta Mooted to Replace Mikel Arteta at Manchester City

​​Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta is reportedly a top contender to replace Mikel Arteta at Manchester City, who is ​expected to be confirmed as the next Arsenal boss later this month. 

Arteta's departure from the Etihad Stadium ensures a vacancy has arisen within Pep Guardiola's coaching staff, and the former Bayern Munich boss has looked to Iniesta as the perfect man to step in to the job. 

The 34-year-old is preparing to say farewell to Camp Nou after 22-years when Barcelona face off against Real Sociedad on Sunday, with the midfield maestro expected to make the ​move to either China or Japan. 

However, according to ​Yahoo Sports, Iniesta has had his head turned by the opportunity to take on a player-coach role with the Premier League champions, which would see him link up with his former Barcelona teammate and manager Guardiola. 

The report claims ​Manchester City officials have made contact with the Spaniard who is keen to strike a deal after being offered the chance to work with one of Europe's most fearsome teams. 

Guardiola has identified Iniesta as his number one choice to fill Arteta's spot as he looks to continue City's dominance in the Premier League and move towards Champions League glory.

Iniesta announced his departure from Barcelona last month, where he collected nine La Liga titles, six Copas del Rey and four Champions League winners medals - just to name a few - for the only club he has ever played for at a senior level. 

The 34-year-old had insisted on playing outside of Europe to avoid the risk of playing against Barcelona, but the lure of Guardiola has seemingly halted any potential move to Asia or America for the mean time.