Claude Puel has said he is not be surprised by rumours that Real Madrid are interested in signing Nice midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa.
Ben Arfa, 28, has experienced a spectacular return to form in the first half of the season, scoring seven Ligue 1 goals and earning a recall to the France squad, and manager Puel said it would be good for the player to move to a bigger club.
The former Lyon and Marseille attacker spent the second half of last season without a club after a reserve team outing for Newcastle meant he fell foul of FIFA rules preventing someone from playing for three different teams in a season.
AC Milan, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund have all been linked with Ben Arfa since his return.
Earlier this month, Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere said he was confident Ben Arfa would rebuff interest from abroad -- including from English clubs -- to stay at Nice, who are fifth in Ligue 1.
But manager Puel told Nice Matin: "I don't agree with the idea of thinking that he needs a small, family club to express himself.
"That would minimise the quality of Hatem to say that. I hope for his sake that he won't be at Nice next year.
"The highest level is not only about a few flashes of brilliance. It's about consistency, workrate, working to win the ball back... He's in the course of acquiring all of that this year.
"I'm not surprised to hear that big clubs like Real Madrid are following him."