‘They will all be leaving’ – Jack Grealish to lead five-man Man City exodus
Jack Grealish has been tipped to be one of five Manchester City players to leave before the end of the transfer window.
Grealish has been out of favour at the Etihad for a number of months now, and last season he started just seven Premier League games.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a vast array of different clubs this summer, with Everton currently looking like his most likely destination.
However, the England international is likely to be just one of a big group of players who will be moved on.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Grealish will be followed out the door by James McAtee, and three others on loan.
‘Guardiola wants to offload players’
This article contains exclusive comment from Keith Wyness, former Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen CEO.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Pep Guardiola is looking to offload players in the latter stages of the transfer window.
Man City completed the majority of their additions in the early part of the summer, bringing in the likes of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.
Wyness added that Guardiola wants a smaller squad than last year, so will be expecting a number of sales to go through before the deadline.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “We have got to take Pep at his word that he wanted a smaller squad and now he’s got a bigger one. So there will be players leaving.
“I mean, we know that people like Grealish will be going. Who else have we got? There’s McAtee. I think there’s three others that may go on loan. So there are five that may well start to reduce the squad.
“They’ve done their shopping early. The new revitalised Pep with the new moustache, working hard to get things moving again. They’ve had their time off, and he’s got them working hard again.
“I think that you will see that squad slim down, and I think he will deliver this year. I’m watching City and I think Pep’s going to be great to watch. He’s going to be a cauldron of new ideas.”
Man City make Gundogan exit decision
Meanwhile, Football Insider have exclusively revealed that Man City are set to make a decision about whether to let Ilkay Gundogan leave this month as he enters the final year of his contract.
Guardiola is reluctant to let the midfielder go before the window closes, with his experience providing a valuable asset to a young, new-look City squad.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that City are planning to accelerate first-team sales after Guardiola demanded his squad be trimmed over the summer.
However, Gundogan is now not expected to be one of the departing players and is seen as a valuable member of the squad despite widespread changes.
For more Man City and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.