The Pep Guardiola-inspired Manchester City era of domination has been marked by the head coach constantly looking to evolve his side and this has often come via an intra-Premier League sale.
While they will not regret letting Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal, they may rue their decision to allow Golden Boot contender Cole Palmer to sign for Chelsea last summer.
Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes are being mooted as possible signings for Man City before next season so they need to free up some funds and with that, who could be the Palmer of this summer’s window?
Amid claims from Spanish media suggesting Guardiola ‘wants five players out’ this summer, we have ranked that quintet (plus five more City stars linked with exits) from least to most likely to leave ahead of the 2024/25 campaign…
10) Erling Haaland
Roy Keane’s favourite “League Two player”, Haaland has work to do if he’s to follow Harry Kane in becoming a complete striker, but his finishing arguably makes up for that.
The Norway international has had a below-par season by his standards but has still netted 31 goals in 39 appearances so it is no wonder that he is being linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But with Barcelona still struggling financially and Real Madrid focusing on Kylian Mbappe this summer, Operation Haaland is likely to be delayed until 2025.
9) Kyle Walker
Aged 33, the experienced full-back has extended his contract until 2026 after he was pursued by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich last summer.
Walker has captained last season’s treble winners for much of this season and has made 39 starts across all competitions. Guardiola apparently ‘wants’ him gone in the summer but given his continued importance at the Etihad, we cannot see him departing in the summer despite him “never saying never” to a move to the Saudi Pro League.
8) Matheus Nunes
The former Liverpool target’s £53m move to Man City was a further blow for Kalvin Phillips (more on him later) as the arrival of another midfielder saw the West Ham loanee fall further down the pecking order at the Etihad.
While his debut season at Man City has not gone as poorly as Phillips’ did last term, Nunes has not played as much as he would have liked as he’s been limited to just nine starts in the Premier League.
A victim of Rodri’s brilliance, reports linking Nunes with a speedy exit are understandable given the comparisons being made to Phillips, but he’s more likely to stick it out for one more season.
Could Kyle Walker and Matheus Nunes leave in the summer? Probably not…
7) Jack Grealish
The 28-year-old has received some tough love from Guardiola this term as he has been negatively impacted by Jeremy Doku’s arrival and struggled to replicate his form from last season.
It still feels like Grealish plays within himself in a City shirt, but Guardiola trusted him to start both legs against Real Madrid so the head coach clearly still believes in his £100m man.
As much as it would be good vibes to see Grealish back in an Aston Villa jersey at some point, the massive fee paid for him in 2021 reduces his chances of ever sealing a return to his boyhood club.
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6) Kevin De Bruyne
Injuries have meant we have not been treated to much of De Bruyne’s excellence this season, but he still had 19 goal involvements in his appearances this campaign, which is pretty ludicrous.
So it is no wonder that Guardiola is reportedly ‘worried the most’ about De Bruyne leaving in the summer.
De Bruyne has joined Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as a top target for the Saudi Pro League so an exit cannot be fully ruled out, especially with his current contract due to expire in 2025. But with the 32-year-old having much more to give at the elite level, the optimists at City will be hoping that he accepts the lesser Premier League big bucks over the eye-watering funds offered by Saudi.
5) Sergio Gomez
Marc Cucurella’s struggles at Chelsea have justified Man City’s call to pull out of the running to sign the £62m flop, but Gomez – who was snapped up as a low-cost alternative for around £11m – has been pretty ineffective at the Etihad.
Having failed to make a single Premier League start this season, Gomez’s long-term future at Man City is in doubt and they would presumably have no problem getting their money back (or even a small profit) if they cash in on the 23-year-old in the summer.
4) Stefan Ortega
Much like Caoimhin Kelleher in the absence of Alisson Becker, Ortega has deputised well for Man City this season while they have been without Ederson.
While Ortega’s performances prove that he is certainly one of the best back-up goalkeepers in the Premier League, Ederson is still firmly placed as Guardiola’s preferred shot-stopper so the 31-year-old should be forgiven if he pushes for a move so his last years are spent as a number one for another team.
3) Bernardo Silva
Of Man City’s standout talents, Silva is definitely the most likely to move in the summer, with longstanding interest from FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain understood to be serious.
Silva has been a sensational buy for Man City and his importance has not waned after he played an integral role as they completed the treble last season.
But with reports suggesting Silva has already ‘decided to leave’, this summer would be a suitable time to say goodbye, especially with Man City set to receive £50m via the release clause in his current contract.
READ MORE: Every Premier League club’s slump of the season features Haaland but not Casemiro
2) Kalvin Phillips
West Ham have reportedly ‘been shocked at how bad’ Phillips has been since joining the club on loan in January.
A move that was widely expected to improve Phillips’ hopes of going to the Euros has hammered another nail in the midfielder’s coffin as a comedy of errors has seen him swiftly become a regular on the Hammers bench.
Phillips’ recent performances for West Ham make a permanent deal impossible but his future at Man City is looking just as bleak. Promotion for Leeds United and a subsequent return to Elland Road is perhaps the only way he will remain a Premier League player heading into next season.
1) Joao Cancelo
There’s seemingly no way back for Phillips at Man City, but at least he’s not been involved in a major fall-out with Guardiola.
The same cannot be said for Cancelo, who butted heads with the Spanish head coach before he was unceremoniously shipped off to Bayern Munich on loan at the halfway stage of last season.
Cancelo’s struggles continued in Germany but he has fared better at Barcelona. A second loan spell at the Nou Camp is perhaps most likely given their financial difficulties, but City may also be willing to accept a cut-price fee to get the volatile Portugal international off their wage bill completely.
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