Pep Guardiola might have to do what he hates after Man City transfer claim

Pep Guardiola won't need to be told that eight into three doesn't work, but the Manchester City manager could be considering that situation when picking his midfield next season.

After the £130million outlay on Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki so far in 2025, the centre of the pitch is well-stocked at the Etihad, even accounting for the departure of Kevin De Bruyne and the expected sale of James McAtee.

The one thing Guardiola hates more than anything is leaving players out of his team, but at the moment, he faces having to make more selection decisions next season than at any point in his nine years at the Etihad.

He has a significantly bloated squad at the moment, and when pre-season resumes next week, he will have enough first-team players to pick two starting XIs every week, without needing to turn to any untested academy youngsters.

That is why sales are the order of the day for director of football Hugo Viana, and that is likely to extend beyond the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish, and McAtee. More players are likely to leave.

Midfield is arguably the strongest area of the squad, but it is also one where cuts must be made. Rodri will return to his role as the almost undroppable holding midfielder this season, with Reijnders expected to slot in alongside him after his move from AC Milan.

That leaves Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez, and Ilkay Gundogan as potential cover in those positions, which is probably one player too many. In the more advanced role, club captain Bernardo Silva was used most often in the Club World Cup, but Phil Foden and Cherki will also want to make it their own.

Cherki and Foden could both be used on the right, of course, although Savinho and Oscar Bobb can also play there, while that list of eight doesn't include Omar Marmoush, who might sometimes play off Erling Haaland.

It is certainly a congested area of the pitch, and that's why, with Guardiola and Viana looking to trim the squad, a midfielder could leave before the end of the transfer window.

For a while in June, it looked like that might be Gundogan. He had a tough first year back at the club, is now 34, and was wanted by Galatasaray, but this week, their manager Okan Buruk has suggested he might see out the final year of his contract.

“Ilkay Gundogan is a person with character," said Buruk. "He has a contract with Manchester City for another year, and I think he will complete it there. We love Ilkay very much, we know he has a great love for Galatasaray."

If Gundogan does stay, then so strong is his relationship with Guardiola that he will almost certainly get plenty of games, but it does mean more of those conversations for the City boss when he has to leave someone out. And we know he really doesn't like doing that.

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