Pep Guardiola’s ‘phenomenal’ wonderkid could be headed for a stunning exit from Manchester City this summer

Pep Guardiola will be hoping that Manchester City sell some of their players ahead of the 2025/2026 season in order to lower the size of his bloated team.

Guardiola joked that he would leave Manchester City if their roster was not reduced, emphasizing that he dislikes leaving too many players out of his matchday teams.

However, none of Manchester City’s players want to leave and follow in the footsteps of Kevin De Bruyne or Kyle Walker.

With that said, Pep Guardiola’s patience will most certainly be challenged until the summer transfer market closes.

Nico O’Reilly could depart Manchester City this summer.

Stefan Ortega may leave the Etihad Stadium, with Manchester City News exclusively disclosing this month that his camp is reviewing the German’s options.

We also disclosed that Ilkay Gundogan’s dream club is Galatasaray, but only time will tell if he joins the Turkish side.

The Athletic reports that, with Manchester City’s roster size still not meeting Pep Guardiola’s demands, many players, including Nico O’Reilly, could move permanently or on loan.

Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and manager Pep Guardiola
Photograph by Alex Pantling/Getty Images.

Given Guardiola’s high regard for O’Reilly, it is surprising that the Englishman could be on his way out despite playing an important part as an emergency left-back last season.

O’Reilly’s performances were praised as “phenomenal” by Shaun Wright-Phillips, and there is a strong case that he was City’s finest player in the latter stages of the 2024/2025 season.

Jeremy Doku may have unwittingly exposed why Nico O’Reilly is in danger at Manchester City.

Following City’s 5-2 victory over Juventus, Jeremy Doku praised Rayan Ait-Nouri, a player whose arrival could mean he is on the fringes of the squad next season.

“He’s so fast, so quick.”

“He can play on the inside and outside. It’s a pleasure to play with him, and he speaks French as well. So, honestly, the connection is there, and I’m glad he’s here with us.

With Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders joining Manchester City this summer, O’Reilly may be recommended to go out on loan, as he is unlikely to play in midfield or defence during the 2025/2026 season.

However, the 20-year-old hopes to battle for a starting slot and earn it, as he did during his breakout season.

Manchester City has a fresh deadline for player sales following Kyle Walker’s transfer

Kyle Walker completed his surprise move to Burnley last weekend, kicking off the exodus at the Etihad. He was the first significant sale of the summer, and many more will follow in the coming weeks.

After signing a replacement for Scott Carson and three outfield first-teamers this summer, Pep Guardiola’s squad is now being trimmed following City’s withdrawal from the Club World Cup.

Guardiola brought 24 outfield players to the US for the event due to early additions of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki. However, as the season progresses, he plans to reduce the number of players.

That list did not include the injured Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, who was away with England Under-21s, or Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish, who are both available for transfer. Hugo Viana has a lot of work to do this summer to build the squad Guardiola wants, in terms of quantity rather than quality.

Selling Walker to Burnley is a start, but as things stand, the four players stated above, along with the group who went to the Club World Cup, total 28 first-team players still on the books at the Etihad. That is far too large a roster for any manager, let alone one who is so adamant about working with fewer players, as Guardiola has always been.

The Catalan has always preferred a small group and despises having to tell players they aren’t on a matchday roster. A larger group of disincentivised players might potentially cause morale concerns.

“I told the club I didn’t want that [a bigger team]. I do not want to keep five or six players in the freezer. I do not want that. I am going to quit. “Make a smaller squad, and I’ll stay,” Guardiola remarked in May.

“It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.”

Guardiola isn’t going to give up anytime soon, and City still has plenty of time to reduce its squad size. The transfer window will not close until the evening of September 1.

However, Viana will be keeping an eye on another deadline: July 28, when City returns for a three-week block of pre-season training before the new Premier League season begins, which now includes a friendly against Palermo in Italy.

As it stands, all 28 first-team players will be returning around that time, though injuries to Phillips and Kovacic may limit their ability to begin training right away. Guardiola would be desperate to avoid working with such a large group while he is already short on time to prepare for the new season.

He will undoubtedly hope that solutions have been found for Phillips and Grealish by then, rather than having to bring them in from the cold after it has been shown that their futures lie outside of the Etihad. Phillips’ situation is exacerbated by his injury, and his loan move to West Ham was hardly a shop window, while Grealish will be a high-profile departure after a £100 million signing failed to live up to expectations.

Other members of the 24-man squad in the United States are expected to leave. Guardiola will want to cut those numbers, and while some, like as Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri, could be loaned out, one or two may have to be sold.

City has worked hard to refresh its roster for 2025, but since the beginning of the year, they have signed eight first-team players and lost only three. That explains why the team has grown to an extent that Guardiola will not be pleased with. He will want it decreased, ideally by the end of the month.