Manchester City may have been active in the summer transfer window, bringing in four new signings, but the Premier League giants are now under pressure to trim their squad, and long-serving defender John Stones could be on the chopping block.
Softfootball understands that Stones is one of six players made available for transfer, as Pep Guardiola looks to reshape his squad following a rare season without silverware. After falling out of the title race early and struggling for form, Guardiola is determined to streamline his team heading into the 2025/26 campaign.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters)
City have already made a statement in the market, securing Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan in a £46 million deal and snapping up creative midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon for around £34 million.
They’ve also bolstered their defence with the £31 million acquisition of Wolves’ Rayan Aït-Nouri and brought in backup goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on a one-year contract. In addition, Softfootball reports that Rico Lewis has signed a new deal with the club.
Yet despite these arrivals, Guardiola has grown increasingly vocal about his discomfort with managing an oversized squad. He recently offloaded Kyle Walker to Burnley for £5 million, but more departures are expected.
According to BBC, Guardiola has been clear with City’s hierarchy: if his request for a tighter squad is not honored, he’s willing to walk away.
Last season, he often had to leave top players out of matchday squads, a situation he described as soul-breaking.
In a candid statement made back in May, as reported by BBC, the Spaniard said:
“I told the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I will quit. Make a shorter squad and I will stay.”
He added:
“As a manager, I can’t train 24 players and then leave four, five, six at home because there’s no space. It breaks my soul. That cannot happen again.”
Softfootball can confirm that among those reportedly on the list alongside Stones are Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovačić, Ilkay Gündoğan, Claudio Echeverri, and Oscar Bobb. However, it’s believed that Bobb, who spent much of last season recovering from a fractured leg, is unlikely to be sold.
As Guardiola plots his squad revamp, John Stones, once a key figure in City’s backline now faces an uncertain future at the Etihad.
