Manchester City insider admits Rico Lewis could part ways with Pep Guardiola this summer | OneFootball

A wide-ranging report has revealed that Manchester City could be set to bid farewell to academy graduate Rico Lewis in the summer transfer window.

City have revamped their first-team ranks significantly since the appointment of Hugo Viana as director of football last summer, with the Portuguese executive loosening the purse strings to help Pep Guardiola and co challenge for silverware in the seasons to come.

The Blues remain in the running to win an unprecedented quadruple this term as they go head to head with Arsenal for the Premier League title, await a Carabao Cup final with the Gunners in March and also vie for success in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola’s side are in a rich vein of form and have won five on the bounce to turn a corner as they enter the business end of a transitional season, having strengthened their squad with the acquisitions of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January.

The summer transfer window is expected to be as busy as any for the Blues, who are expected to push for the signing of Nottingham Forest and England star Elliot Anderson to bolster their midfield options for the future.

Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji are expected to leave permanently upon their respective returns from loans at Everton and Inter Milan, with academy graduate Max Alleyne expected to stay put at the Etihad Stadium after impressing since he was recalled from loan at Watford in January.

Bernardo Silva, Nathan Ake and John Stones are also expected to leave the club at the end of the season. Silva is out of contract in the summer and there is no indication of the 31-year-old putting pen to paper and committing his future to the Blues anytime soon.

Ake and Stones have endured injury-marred seasons and are nowhere near the top of the pecking order in central defence, with Guehi seamlessly integrating into life at the Etihad Stadium since joining from Crystal Palace for £20 million in the wake of a personnel crisis in defence in January.

As part of a wide-ranging Q&A, Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News has indicated that Rico Lewis could also be heading for the exit door this summer.

Lewis has struggled for minutes this season, with Matheus Nunes establishing himself as Guardiola’s preferred option at right-back after Kyle Walker left last summer. While Lewis committed his future till 2030 to City in September 2025, he has a decision to make on his future.

Having attracted interest from Nottingham Forest in the final weeks of the recent summer transfer window, the England international has found it difficult to get regular minutes in the locker this term – despite his versatility across defence and midfield.

The 21-year-old is one of the finest talents to graduate from the City Football Academy and whilst it would be a real shame if Guardiola bids farewell to a player who has played a fundamental role to City’s success since he broke through during the treble-winning season at 18 years of age, Lewis is unlikely to settle for a bit-part role beyond the current campaign.