Five players who could leave Man City this summer

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 16 Apr 2024 12:55 BST
• 5 min read

Manchester City are on course for their sixth Premier League title in seven years, but that doesn't mean every player's position is secure under Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola has shown a willingness to let players leave throughout his eight-year tenure at the Etihad.

Last summer the champions sold Cole Palmer, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte for big money, while Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo joined Barcelona on a free transfer and loan respectively.

READ MORE: Latest Man City transfer rumours

Palmer aside, all had previously been crucial to recent title successes, but none were safe.

Erling Haaland has misfired at times this season - despite his 31 goals in all competitions - but a transfer to Real Madrid looks dependent on them not signing Kylian Mbappe and City being hit with a significant FFP penalty.

There are more likely departures. FootballTransfers takes a look…

Jack Grealish

— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 24, 2024

Jack Grealish set City back a British record £100 million when he joined from Aston Villa in August 2021, but he has fallen down the pecking order of left wingers following Jeremy Doku's subsequent arrival from Rennes.

The England international has started just nine of his 17 Premier League appearances this season, and despite a recent upturn in form, Guardiola's on-field remonstrations with him in the goalless draw with Arsenal last month are testament to his declining importance.

Former club Villa have been linked with a move for their former star man.

Stefan Ortega

Stefan Ortega has impressed on the rare occasions he has been asked to stand in for Ederson, but he remains an understudy at best at the Etihad, normally only playing when the Brazilian is injured.

For a player who was knocking on the door of the Germany squad in his time at Arminia Bielefeld, it is a frustrating state of affairs, and he recently mused about reported interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and other Bundesliga suitors.

"I'm not at the start of my 20s so I have to choose wisely now what I’m doing in summer," he said. "It's not that I have to push the club to will sell me, it's just like 'see what happens.'"

Bernardo Silva

— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 5, 2022

Bernardo Silva has a unique circumstance among this list of his teammates: he is completely trusted by his manager, one of the first names on the teamsheet, and yet Guardiola wouldn't stop him from leaving.

The Portuguese has made no secret of his desire to follow Gundogan and Cancelo to Barcelona, and international teammate Joao Felix wants him at Camp Nou. "If Bernardo Silva comes, I'm going to ask for a commission," he told Catalunya Radio recently.

Bernardo's asking price was the biggest stumbling block before, but with a year less on his contract than when Barca last tried, his value is down to €64.9m from €81m, and the Blaugrana could try and snag him for less.

Kalvin Phillips

Kalvin Phillips' Man City journey appears to be over, meanwhile. The England midfielder was signed from Leeds as cover for Rodri, but Guardiola would rather have popped defenders like John Stones and Manuel Akanji in midfield than give Phillips his chance, and he is now on loan at West Ham.

The loan is yet to work out, with Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez still preferred at defensive midfield, and Phillips is bound for the Etihad exit almost immediately after he returns.

Leeds are reportedly interested in bringing their academy graduate back, but are reluctant to meet City's £30m asking price.

Joao Cancelo

Cancelo is in a similar position to Phillips in that he has no City future and has been farms out on loan, except in his case he is thriving at Barcelona.

One of the game's best full-backs, comfortable operating on either side of the field, he fell out with Guardiola last year when the Catalan switched to using defensive players in the wide positions.

"I think they will continue," Barca president Joan Laporta told Mundo Deportivo of Cancelo and Felix, who is loan from Atletico Madrid. "I hope that Atletico won't put any objection to Joao Felix continuing with us and I think that City won't object either."

It may be another loan for now, until Barcelona can afford a permanent transfer.

READ MORE: Man City’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time