Manchester City are in a race against the clock to slim down their squad to meet both Premier League and Champions League regulations. Pep Guardiola has been vocal about his belief that he has too many players, with the need to reduce numbers also driven by the risk of having to exclude some from his plans entirely.
Currently, City have 32 players in their first-team squad. Although Premier League rules on homegrown players and those under 21 mean they only need to make one sale before the transfer window closes, European regulations require as many as five players to depart.
Despite City's recruitment drive seeming to be over after a summer where they added Rayan Cherki, Rayan Air-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Sverre Nypan and goalkeepers James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli to their ranks, new director of football Hugo Viana still has tasks to complete.
Guardiola has made it clear that he doesn't want to manage an oversized squad as he fears leaving players on the bench for extended periods could lead to dressing room discontent.
City have informed Jack Grealish, James McAtee, Kalvin Phillips and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega that they can leave if the right offer is presented. Grealish is drawing interest from Everton and Napoli, but the Blues may be forced to accept a loan deal that would see them subsidise the £300,000-a-week wages of a player who cost them £100million.
Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing McAtee as a potential replacement for injured James Maddison, with Nottingham Forest and Eintracht Frankfurt being told they'll need to cough up nearly £40million for the England Under-21 skipper.
Bundesliga clubs are showing interest in Ortega, the goalkeeper who's keen on a move to bolster his chances of making Germany's World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, Leeds United are keeping tabs on their former player, £42million flop Phillips, despite his hefty £120,000-a-week wage packet proving problematic.
The fate of all three players could hang in the balance until the final hours of 1 September, as clubs aim to push Manchester City's financial boundaries.
Viana is also orchestrating loan moves for foreign talents Claudio Echeverri, Vitor Reis and Nypan, with sister club Girona expressing interest in the trio.
Despite a spate of injuries plaguing key players, Guardiola remains steadfast in his policy of maintaining a limit on squad numbers.
The loss of midfield maestro Rodri for most of the Premier League season was a significant setback - and the Ballon d'Or winner is once again out of action due to a groin injury sustained at the Club World Cup.