Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he has a verbal agreement with Manchester City to take over from Roberto Mancini as manager.
The Malaga manager has been tabbed as Mancini's replacement since the Italian was fired just before the end of the Premier League season.
Pellegrini guided Malaga to their highest ever league finish last season as they ended the campaign in fourth to qualify for their debut in the Champions League. Malaga went on to reach the last-eight of the competition and were only seconds away from beating eventual losing finalists Borussia Dortmund to reach the semifinals.
"I have a verbal agreement with them and I hope it is carried out," he said in an interview with the Andalusian television station Canal Sur on Wednesday. "As of today, I don't have a signed contract.
"It is true that Manchester City have shown a lot of interest that I become their coach and I have had conversations with them. Until things have been signed, you cannot say everything is completely done."
Highly-rated Malaga playmaker Isco admits he would relish the chance to continue playing under departing coach Pellegrini.
"He's been my footballing father and I know that he likes me and, for me, of course I would like to continue with him because he's given me all the confidence in the world," he told reporters after joining up with the Spain Under-21 squad on Monday.
On the subject of which club he might move to, Isco says the key thing for him is the amount of time he gets on the pitch.
He said: "It's a very important decision for me and I don't want to get it wrong. I have doubts because I want to play, wherever it is, and that's the most important thing. I don't want to regret it after not getting many minutes."
He added: "I'm not closing my door to anyone but my priority is to play and I don't want to be on the bench. We'll see what happens in the summer."
