Manchester City face transfer snub by key targets this summer, warns Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has warned that the outcome of Manchester City’s season could dramatically affect their ability to attract key transfer targets this summer.

The Premier League champions are ready to make notable additions to Guardiola’s squad in the summer transfer window after failing to mount a challenge for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles this term.

Fifth-placed Manchester City play the first of their final six games of the Premier League campaign against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, with little margin for error for the 2023 treble winners in their bid to secure Champions League football for the new season.

Kevin De Bruyne is leaving City in the coming months after a decorated 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium and officials at the club have identified Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz as their dream replacement for the outgoing Belgian playmaker.

However, it will be easier said than done for City to attract the likes of Wirtz – who is also being courted by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – to Manchester should the Blues fail to register their place in next season’s Champions League.

Speaking in a press conference on Friday ahead of City’s trip to Merseyside, Guardiola said: “It depends on the players we want and whether they just have one option. If they have many (offers from other clubs), I’m pretty sure the players take a look at the ones in the Champions League, of course.”

The Manchester City manager was then asked whether the club had separate shortlists ahead of the transfer market depending on whether the club qualify for the Champions League or not, to which Guardiola denied to be the case.

“In the conversations with the club, the club don’t have one list for the Champions League and one list for a relegation battle,” the 54-year-old added as he looks to lead his side over the line and end what has been an underwhelming season for Manchester City on a high.

“Maybe players come anyway and there are other ones who say they don’t want to go because of no Champions League. I don’t know. I didn’t speak with one player potentially for the next season, so I don’t know.”

City are also expected to witness the departures of several first-team players who have failed to meet expectations in terms of form and fitness over the course of the campaign, with Hugo Viana set to take over from Txiki Begiristain as director of football in the coming months.

“They have contracts. Except Kevin (De Bruyne), all the other have contracts. The club and organisation decide what is the best. The club is working of course behind the scenes what they have to do,” Guardiola said.

“But I’m concerned about these six games and FA Cup. After that one week, 10 days off, fifth of June start again with seven days before flying to the United States and preparing for the (FIFA Club) World Cup.”