Pep Guardiola couldn’t have made it any clearer that one of Manchester City’s biggest stars will be leaving the club in the summer transfer window.
Manchester City are going great guns in the Club World Cup, with their 5-2 destruction of Juventus on Thursday taking their winnings past £10m already.
An electric Jeremy Doku inspired the win after scoring an early opener, with an own goal and finishes from Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho securing the rout.
Pep Guardiola’s side will take on Joao Cancelo’s Al-Hilal in the next round as the manager’s new-look squad continues to take shape.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki have all impressed in the States and City are already looking revitalised after a difficult season.
Though Bernardo Silva disagrees, Guardiola wants a smaller squad next term, which means some big exits are expected in the transfer window.
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The biggest of which is Jack Grealish, and Guardiola has sent his clearest indication yet that the forward is heading for the exit.
Jack Grealish claps to the fans after Manchester City v Bournemouth
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
Pep Guardiola addresses Jack Grealish’s Man City future
Speaking in his press conference after the Juventus victory, Guardiola was asked if Grealish had the qualities to play for his former club Bayern Munich.
In response, the manager said: “I’ve said many times, the guys have been together for many years, always I wish him the best.
“I wish the best for Jack, his partner, his kids, his family.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen right now and I don’t have any doubts about the quality of Jack, so the quality has always been there.
“The year of the Treble we won, without him, it would not have been possible.
“So, he’s a top, top, top player but the players have to compete with each other and last season Doku was incredible in many games and Savinho made the step up for his first season.
“So the only reason he didn’t play minutes was me, not because he was incorrect or whatever.
“In the end, every season they have to compete with each other and the players this season they have to do it.”
Grealish’s high wages and lack of form might put off any potential suitors, but Guardiola certainly sounds like a man who expects him to depart the Etihad Stadium.
Who Manchester City could sell in the summer transfer window
With Guardiola desperate to reduce his options so he doesn’t have to leave people out of matchday squads, more players than Grealish are expected to leave the club following Kevin De Bruyne’s exit.
Kyle Walker is on the chopping block following his loan stint at AC Milan last season, while James McAtee’s exclusion from the Club World Cup squad appears conclusive that he will leave, too.
Claudio Echeverri could depart on loan for first-team action if Guardiola doesn’t see him in his immediate plans, while Kalvin Phillips might head out on another temporary move when he recovers from injury.
Matheus Nunes’ future once looked uncertain but Guardiola has now made it clear he wants to keep him.
Here are all the players who could potentially leave City this summer:
Jack Grealish
Kyle Walker
James McAtee
John Stones
Kalvin Phillips – loan
Tommy Doyle
Claudio Echeverri – loan
Vitor Reis – loan
Joshua Wilson-Esbrand
Maximo Perrone