Manchester City goalkeeper closing in on last-minute Etihad Stadium exit | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola could yet see another vital member of his recent trophy success leave Manchester City before the close of the January transfer window.

The Blues have made the most of the mid-season window, strengthening their prospects in attack and defence with the respective signings of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi respectively for an eye-watering combined fee of £84 million.

City remain in the hunt for silverware on four fronts and are making do with limited options in central defence in the backdrop of injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on January 4. Dias is eyeing a return against Liverpool next weekend but Gvardiol is sidelined till April or even May.

After one win in their last five Premier League games, the jury is out on whether a new-look Manchester City dressing room is capable of running the distance and overturning a four-point deficit to league leaders Arsenal, who are themselves undergoing a slump after a poor start to 2026 in the league.

City are not expected to make any further signings in January as departures and loan exits take over the agenda, with Oscar Bobb joining Fulham for £27 million to revitalise his career ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium are finding a loan club for out-of-favour midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has endured a horrid time in Manchester and after unsuccessful loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich Town in recent seasons, the 30-year-old needs a new lease of life.

Nathan Ake has been subject to transfer speculation and has a decision to make following several warnings from Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman over his limited game time at the Etihad Stadium, which have raised serious doubts over his FIFA World Cup chances.

Guardiola wants to retain Ake till the end of the season as Manchester City remain in the fight for silverware on four fronts. John Stones is expected to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer, with Ake also likely to be sold.

After progressing to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 courtesy of a 2-0 win over Galatasaray on Wednesday night, Guardiola and co turn their attention to Sunday’s away day at Tottenham; whilst club officials navigate the final stages of the January transfer window.

According to the information of Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Stefan Ortega Moreno could still leave Manchester City before the February 2 transfer deadline, with concrete talks ongoing with clubs from England, Spain and Italy.

It is further highlighted that the Germany international was also recently a candidate at Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.

Additional reporting from WestHamZone has also claimed that the Irons hold an interest in Ortega, viewed as a potential replacement for Alphonse Areola and an alternative to Tottenham’s Antonin Kinsky.