Ander Herrera's father has claimed that Barcelona were once in serious discussions to sign his son.
The midfielder left Spain in 2014 as he swapped Athletic Bilbao for Manchester United and spent five years at Old Trafford being moving to Paris Saint-Germain.
Herrera was reported to be in talks about a return to his homeland in 2018 and was also the subject of speculation during this summer after a season when he was in and out of the starting line-up under Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking to L'Equipe in quotes carried by Goal, Pedro Herrera said: 'At one point, Ander was in contact with Barca and, for various reasons, it did not happen.
'But he does not fail despite never wearing the colours of one of the three greats of Spain because, in his eyes, the biggest club in the country is Zaragoza, where he started.'
Herrera has already made an uncharacteristically prolific start to the current season, with goals against Brest, Club Brugges and a double against Clermont meaning he is the club's joint-top scorer along with Kylian Mbappe and already has more strikes to his name this term than in any campaign since 2015-16 with the Red Devils, when he netted five.
The Spain international revealed last year that he would like to return to boyhood club Real Zaragoza after winning titles at PSG.
The subsequent arrival of Lionel Messi this summer on a two-year contract means Herrera is likely to want to stick around until at least 2023 though, with his own deal expiring the following year.
Pochettino's side will be looking to regain their Ligue 1 crown after Lille pipped them to the title by a point last term, while the French giants are also aiming for their first Champions League trophy after being knocked out in the semi-finals by Manchester City in May.
Pedro ruled out his son becoming the club president of Zaragoza one day, but feels a future managerial role there is not out of the question, saying: 'He [Ander] has always been in contact with the mayor of the city and participates in and even finances various educational, humanitarian and hospital projects since Covid emerged.
'Will he become president of Real Zaragoza? I do not expect that. But being an influential leader or one of the shareholders is almost certain.'