JACK GREALISH is reportedly set to lead a purging of the Manchester City squad in the summer.
Pep Guardiola is set to cull his underperforming stars in the summer after a disappointing season.
Manchester City were dumped out of the Champions League on Wednesday night by Real Madrid.
The European failure has followed an exit from the Carabao Cup and a lacklustre defence of the Premier League title.
The club’s only hope of silverware this season is in the FA Cup with a 5th round tie against Plymouth Argyle on March 1.
The Cityzens splashed the cash in January with high-profile arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
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But come the summer transfer window, the club will be looking to trim down the squad.
The Daily Star have claimed that EIGHT former title winners would be on their way out of the club.
This includes the likes of Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson.
Kyle Walker is also expected to leave on a permanent deal when he returns from his loan spell at AC Milan.
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All of the players are aged 30 and over, which would suggest Guardiola is keen to add more youth to his squad.
As the current season is nearly a write-off for the club, Guardiola must prioritise the future.
Manchester City squad ages
Here is a look at the ages in Manchester City’s squad…
Goalkeepers:
- Ederson, 31
- Stefan Ortega, 32
- Scott Carson, 39
Defenders:
- Ruben Dias, 27
- Manuel Akanji, 29
- Nathan Ake, 30
- John Stones, 30
- Vitor Ries, 19
- Abdukodri Khsanov, 20
- Jahmai Simpson-Pursey, 19
- Josko Gvardiol, 23
- Rico Lewis, 20
- Kyle Walker, 34 – On loan at AC Milan
Midfielders:
- Rodri, 28
- Mateo Kovacic, 30
- Nico Gonzalez, 23
- Ilkay Gundogan, 34
- Bernardo Silva, 30
- Kevin de Bruyne, 33
- Claudio Echeverri, 19
- James McAtee, 22
Attackers:
- Jeremy Doku, 22
- Jack Grealish, 29
- Phil Foden, 24
- Savinho, 20
- Oscar Bobb, 21
- Erling Haaland, 24
- Omar Marmoush, 26
Average age: 26.6
The Spaniard will be expected to put faith into the four January arrivals in order to bed them in before next season.
However, this must be balanced with results on the pitch with the club still not guaranteed a Champions League spot for next season.
Man City have already signed Juma Bah from Real Valladolid and loaned him to RC Lens until the summer.
While SunSport revealed City are ready to battle Real Madrid for £85million Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, who has been tipped as the ‘new De Bruyne’.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
