Man City keep or sell: Grealish, Ederson and Kovacic all sold to stop Guardiola ‘quitting’

Manchester City have a large, ageing squad and appear to be heading for a major summer rebuild, with Pep Guardiola desperate to trim the numbers.

We put together a cheeky ‘keep or sell’ list last year and with Guardiola threatening to “quit”, it feels like the perfect time to revisit it – and we’re going to be ruthless.

Ederson: Sell
It’s probably time for Man City and Ederson to cut ties. The Brazilian goalkeeper has been a revelation at the Etihad but he’s been flirting with an exit and if a Saudi Arabian club come calling again this summer, he will probably push more than he did in 2024.

Stefan Ortega: Keep
A genuine option for the No.1 shirt with or without Ederson’s presence, Ortega has been solid when called upon by Pep Guardiola and in terms of back-up goalkeepers, there are very few better in world football.

Signing a new goalkeeper and keeping the German as the club’s No.2 feels like the best way to go.

Scott Carson: Keep
Carson is out of contract this summer – surely Man City can’t afford to let him go?!

Kyle Walker: Sell
No-brainer to get rid of Walker permanently this summer and the buy option in his January loan move to AC Milan will probably be triggered. City will hope the hard work is done and it’s just a case of the Italians saying, ‘Fine, we will keep him.’ Or whatever that is in Italian.

Rico Lewis: Keep
Lewis is a promising young player but has been exposed at times this season. A loan spell is definitely beneath him now and Guardiola fully trusts him, and in several positions as well. He is someone who will massively benefit from Rodri’s return.

Vitor Reis: Loan
Signed in January, there is a decent chance Reis is loaned out for 2025/26. Girona, anyone?

Abdukodir Khusanov: Keep
Well, it’s safe to say it has been a testing start to life in English for young Khusanov, the first Uzbek to play in the Premier League. He is only 21 so can easily improve.

Moving to a foreign country at such a young age, not knowing the language, and being thrust straight into the defence for a huge Premier League season is A Lot.

John Stones: Sell
With only a year left on his contract, it would probably make more sense to keep Stones, especially considering how difficult it will be to shift a player who has missed 30 games through injury this season. However, it’s time to be ruthless, otherwise Pep will leave.

Maybe a Saudi Arabian team will be tempted, but, yeah, offloading Stones is a long shot.

Ruben Dias: Keep
Still one of the best centre-backs in the world, Dias is not someone City will be looking to sell. That said, the Cityzens have a policy of not holding players back if they want to leave – though they always demand the right price.

Manuel Akanji: Sell
There’s a strong argument for both keeping and selling Akanji, but following the winter signings of Reis and Khusanov, we’re leaning more towards the latter.

Akanji has been an incredibly consistent performer for the Cityzens, but cashing in might be the wise move.

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Nathan Ake: Sell
Ake, like Akanji, has been incredibly consistent for City but is frustratingly injury-prone. Like with Stones, that’s now enough to justify selling him following Guardiola’s comments after the Bournemouth win.

Josko Gvardiol: Keep
Obviously… right?

Joshua Wilson-Esbrand: Loan
When everyone is back fit for the start of next season, it will be difficult for Wilson-Esbrand to force his way into Guardiola’s team. After a loan spell with Stoke City in the Championship, the next step is obviously a mid-table Bundesliga team.

Nico O’Reilly: Keep
If not for Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly, we’d be saying a lot more about young O’Reilly moving from midfield to left-back for City. He’s done very well.

Rodri: Keep and wrap in cotton wool
The Ballon d’Or holder is back. Gulp.

His absence has been missed more than anyone could have imagined. We thought it would make the title race interesting with City still fighting at the top of the table, but none of those things have happened.

Kalvin Phillips: Sell
Unfortunately, Phillips has been poor in a relegated Ipswich side. This was a big opportunity for him to prove he can still cut it in the Premier League, yet now we are unsure if Leeds United would take him following their promotion. That transfer will likely happen in the summer and if Phillips flops back at Elland Road, he’s finito.

Nico Gonzalez: Keep
Signed for big money in January, Nico is here to stay.

Mateo Kovacic: Sell
Very tough decision to make, this. On one hand, Kovacic is a very good squad player. On the other hand, he is 31 and getting rid of him would be a statement of City’s rebuilding intent.

Ilkay Gundogan: Keep
Gundogan recently triggered a contract extension, and that’s the biggest argument for keeping him. After a horrible start to the season, the German has improved since the turn of the year, we’ll give him that.

Matheus Nunes: Keep
Nunes’ inconsistency is frustrating but we are giving him, say, one more year to prove this is a level he belongs.

Claudio Echeverri: Loan
A loan move to Girona has been suggested and might be the most inevitable transfer of the summer.

READ MORE: Timber, Gravenberch… Foden? Premier League players ‘like a new signing’ in 2024/25

Maximo Perrone: Sell
Perrone will reportedly join Como for £25m, which is a frankly absurd piece of business.

Kevin De Bruyne: Leaving
Out of contract at the end of the season, City legend De Bruyne has confirmed he is leaving. Where will he end up? He has admitted a move to another English club is an option, but there is plenty of interest from clubs in MLS.

Expansion club San Diego feel like a good option, while New York City are part of the City Group, so are a team to keep an eye on. There will be plenty of interest from Saudi Arabia as well, though De Bruyne has always struck me as someone who would choose the United States over the Middle East. We shall see.

Bernardo Silva: Keep
Man City’s season has put the age of their incredibly successful stars in the spotlight and Silva has certainly fallen victim to the narrative that this is a finished squad. We are not overly sure. Let’s maybe not write these guys off after one bad season – they are almost entitled to it after years of unparalleled success.

Silva has it in him to contribute in another title-winning campaign but there is no doubt that he has to improve. Him and 20 others.

James McAtee: Sell
McAtee has proved he can contribute for City and we don’t think another loan spell is the way to go. He can stay and be a capable squad player but he should aim higher, and Guardiola surely knows it.

Oscar Bobb: Loan
Bobb can bounce back nicely after a campaign ruined by a long-term injury by going out on loan. He is a serious talent but his progress has stagnated, making regular football in 2025/26 imperative.

Phil Foden: Keep
He has been rubbish in comparison to last season but there is obviously no chance City sell Foden.

Savinho: Keep
It has been a difficult debut season but Savinho still has a respectful 10 assists in 28 Premier League appearances. City won’t give up on him after a year.

Jack Grealish: Sell
Grealish is at a crossroads in his career and we are not sure where he should go, but we do know that he should go.

Tottenham Hotspur have long been linked with Grealish, and there’s also talk of a return to Aston Villa. However, both options seem unlikely – Spurs already have plenty of wide options, and Villa fans aren’t particularly fond of him.

Transfer options for Grealish deserves its own feature so we won’t dive too deep into it. The overriding point is that Man City should sell and Grealish has to leave for the good of his career.

Jeremy Doku: Keep
Doku is a bit of an all bark, no bite winger with his dribbling and trickery but lack of goals and assists. Saying that, there is no desire on City’s part to sell and there will probably be no desire on any other club’s behalf to pay the £55million he cost in 2023.

Omar Marmoush: Keep
Marmoush has been a bloody good signing. Without him, City would probably be out of the Champions League race by now.

Erling Haaland: Keep
Proper difficult, this one. Yeah, still not entirely sure if we chose the right option.