Manchester City stance on sale of first-team forward revealed amid January interest | OneFootball

Manchester City’s stance on a January exit for first-team forward Oscar Bobb has been revealed in a series of new reports.

Bobb faces an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium despite being under contract till 2029, having lost his place in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI in recent months owing to a loss of form and recurring fitness setbacks.

The 22-year-old rose to prominence for Manchester City after scoring a monumental injury-time winner in a hard-fought 3-2 win away at Newcastle midway through the 2023-24 season – a goal that proved crucial in the larger scheme of things as Guardiola’s side went on to claim a fourth successive Premier League title.

A City Football Academy graduate, Bobb spent nearly the entirety of the 2024-25 season on the sidelines after suffering a leg break in the days that followed Manchester City’s 2024 FA Community Shield win over local rivals Manchester United.

The Norway international’s return to full training in February was short-lived as a hamstring injury brought him back to the sidelines, only for Bobb to make his long-awaited return to the pitch in a 2-0 win over Leicester City in April.

City made sweeping changes to their senior ranks in the summer as director of football Hugo Viana signed off on a series of notable exits and recruited seven new players to usher in a new era at the Etihad Stadium – in the backdrop of a dismal 2024-25 season for Guardiola and co.

Bobb started the 2025-26 season as a starter for Manchester City, impressing in his side’s opening day 4-0 Premier League win away at Wolves and earning subsequent starts in losses to Tottenham and Brighton – where he failed to impress as the Blues entered the September international break languishing in the bottom half of the table.

The Norwegian has since failed to collect minutes in attack as Phil Foden returned to his best form in recent months, with Jeremy Doku also making the left-wing position his own in a Manchester City side that has turned a corner and clawed their way back into the conversation for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons.

Bobb’s minutes in recent months have been largely restricted to cup competitions and with Manchester City close to securing the arrival of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in January, a mid-season exit has been mooted for the former.

As reported by Jordan Campbell of The Athletic, several clubs in England and abroad have made loan approaches for Bobb, who went off injured in Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford last week and could be heading for the exit door in January.

Borussia Dortmund are the most notable suitors of the talented winger, who has shown glimpses of his talent in the senior Manchester City ranks since he broke through from the academy but has succumbed to recurring fitness issues in recent seasons.

Writing for talkSPORT, Ben Jacobs has added that Fulham, Crystal Palace and Sevilla are also monitoring Bobb’s situation at City, who will sanction a loan or permanent exit for their academy graduate if and when they close a deal for Semenyo in the coming weeks.