An extraordinary claim for Spain claims that five Manchester City players could leave the club this summer, in what’s being described as a ‘major exit operation’. This summer is looking likely to be a major overhaul for Pep Guardiola’s side and could resemble a similar summer to what the 17/18 season gave us, where City spent £200m on five major acquisitions; Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Danilo, Ederson, and Kyle Walker.
According to a new report from journalist Jose Alvarez/@10JoseAlvarez via @elchiringuitotv Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo could all leave Manchester this summer.
💣"El Barça está INTERESADO en jugadores del MANCHESTER CITY"
🔥"Gundogan, Walker, Cancelo, Bernardo Silva o Laporte, descontentos con Guardiola, podrían salir"
Exclusiva de @10JoseAlvarez. pic.twitter.com/TZhBjQ9bem
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) January 25, 2023
Alvarez states as well as a major overhaul in terms of arrivals, the same can be expected with departures. “A major exit operation because there is a lot of wear and tear among the heavyweights in the dressing room. There are several players who are disgruntled and can’t stand the situation.”
Jose Alvarez goes on to mention that Joao Cancelo’s relationship with Pep Guardiola is a strained one, and because of that the Portuguese wants to depart the club, just a mere eleven months after signing a new contract extension until 2027.
Despite English media briefing that Ilkay Gundogan is close to agreeing on a new deal with the Premier League Champions, Alvarez states the German international is “quite advanced” on a deal to sign with Barcelona.
Bernardo Silva has had a willingness to leave City for some time now and has reportedly rejected multiple offers from the club in hopes he can secure a move somewhere else. PSG are now the favourites to secure the 28-year-old’s signature, with superstar Kylian Mbappe reportedly encouraging PSG officials to consider a deal this summer.
Jose Alvarez is also known to be a friend of Aymeric Laporte and has said the centre-back is “thinking more about a departure in June”
I find it incredibly difficult to imagine the club letting such senior key players depart the club, particularly Kyle Walker, as there has never once been a rumour of the right-back being disgruntled at the club or seeking a move elsewhere. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus were all sold to rivals without the correct replacments. If these reports from Alvarez are true, City need to splash the cash this summer and bring in ready-made, world-class replacements.