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Starsport understands that his wife, Cristina, was given a VIP guided tour of St Bede’s College in Manchester yesterday.

Mrs Guardiola, it has been said by onlookers, was accompanied by the wife of City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain as they checked out the school which has close links with the club.

Around 40 of City’s academy players are students at St Bede’s and it was in the school chapel where former boss Roberto Mancini prayed the day before the historic 2012 triumph over QPR, which dramatically clinched the Premier league title.

The Guardiolas have three children – son Marius, 13, and daughters Maria, 11, and Valentina, seven – and they couldn’t have failed to be impressed by the high standard of the educational facilities.

It is one more step towards Guardiola becoming City boss to replace Manuel Pellegrini, who has carried on admirably in the job while the Pep hysteria has grown in its enormity.

Guardiola, who has officially stated that he is leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season, is also strongly linked with City’s neighbours United, Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as a host of clubs across Europe.

But it looks ever certain now that he will be installed as City manager in the summer to finally seal the deal that former Barcelona big-wigs Begiristain and chief executive officer Ferran Soriano have been working on since their Etihad arrival.

Pellegrini has won the title and Capital One Cup in his two-and-a-half year City reign and is on the trail of even more silverware this season.

But it now seems certain now that Guardiola will settle into his hotseat in June, with reports in German magazine Bild that he will pocket an incredible £20million a season.

Meanwhile, Guardiola has been called a lucky coach by former Barcelona player Eric Abidal.

Guardiola won the Treble – Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup – in his first season at the Nou Camp in 2008.

But defender Abidal said: “He was a little bit lucky to win all the trophies in his first season.

“I saw him get angry. He faced egos and resistance to change at Barca.

“But after his first home game, he told us we had to believe in his plan if we wanted to win La Liga and the Champions League. After that the team played like Guardiola wanted.”