PEP GUARDIOLA has warned he will have to swing the axe to trim his Manchester City squad.
England trio Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were left at home when City boss Guardiola named a 27-man squad for the Club World Cup.
And midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is the latest star to be linked with a move away from the Etihad with Galatasaray interested and Guardiola is keen to work with a smaller group of players.
Guardiola said: “With Ilkay, no news is good news. I don’t know anything and I didn’t speak with him.
“But at the same time we have — right now — a long squad, too many players. We cannot go with 26, 27 players this season because there would be more not playing.
“Step by step maybe a few players are going to move.”
Guardiola says his squad is currently too large – despite the demands of competing for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The Etihad chief has brought in seven new faces during the calendar year … and now has more than THIRTY outfield men.
So several will either be sent out on loan or sold before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Guardiola admits it will be agonising to show the door to some players he would rather keep with him – but feels he must be fair to those who would rarely feature.
The Spaniard, 54, added: “I would love to have the players that we have now all season. I would love it.
“I don’t have any complaints about the players, how they behave.
“The problem is they will be unhappy during the season.
“They will be sad, they will be disappointed. I don’t want that.
“For me it’s not a problem. I have more selection and I don’t like six, seven players, just in case, no injuries, being at home.
“So I do it that way. I do that for them. That’s why we have to see what happens. We still have a long time, I would say, until the transfer window will be closed. We’ll see what happens step by step.”
Promising midfielder James McAtee, 22, is likely to leave after deciding to go to the Euros with England Under-21s rather than join City in the USA.
There is a question mark over the future of Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, although he is out injured for the next couple of months.
Who stays and who goes at Man City?
AFTER a disappointing 2024-25 season, Pep Guardiola is overhauling his Manchester City squad. SunSport’s MARTIN BLACKBURN analyses the state of play at the Etihad . . .
INS
Newcomers Tijjani Reijnders from Milan, Rayan Cherki from Lyon, Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri and former Chelsea goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli bolster the squad.
The likes of Stefan Ortega, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and a fit-again Rodri are staying as they bid to improve on last year’s below-par campaign.
OUTS
Loyal servant Kyle Walker, 35, looks to have kicked his last ball for City.
Jack Grealish is also on the move from the Etihad, with Napoli the frontrunners for the wideman — who cost Pep’s side £100million in 2021.
Kalvin Phillips, James McAtee and Maximo Perrone are also heading for the exit door.
MAYBES
The futures of keeper Ederson, John Stones, Rico Lewis, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Nico Gonzalez, Matheus Nunes, Claudio Echeverri and Oscar Bobb are not yet set in stone.
Most will be kept but some will go — either permanently or on loan — to free up space in the squad.
Defender John Stones had a disastrous season — missing 34 games due to injuries — and is heading into the final year of his contract.
He has been linked with a return to his old club Everton – and a sizeable offer may tempt City to cash in.
But the 31-year-old is determined to see out the next 12 months and complete a decade at the Etihad rather than look for a new challenge.
Asked if he has heard anything from the club about a new deal, Stones said: “Nothing really, But I’m here and I want to stay here.
“I love it. I’m here to help the team. I don’t know what’s been said or speculated, but I hope that shuts it down.”
Yenan Yildiz struck twice as City’s final Group G opponents Juventus beat Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup.
Striker Yildiz had earlier forced defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil to turn the ball into his own net for the opener, while Dusan Vlahovic’s penalty wrapped up the Italian giants’ win.
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