£53 million Manchester City midfielder ‘most likely’ to leave Etihad Stadium this summer | OneFootball

Manchester City’s ‘most likely’ exit from Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad has now been named, according to new reports around the Premier League champions.

Etihad Stadium bosses are yet to make their first official moves in the way of arrivals into Pep Guardiola’s squad this summer, with the return for pre-season training now under two weeks away and a tour of the United States’ east coast looming at the end of the month.

Departures from Manchester City have begun however, with over £30 million having been secured for reinvestment through a mixture of permanent exits and sell-on clauses from historic deals.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis became the latest exit from Manchester City earlier this week, joining Premier League newcomers Southampton in a £20 million deal initially agreed last summer but dependant on the Saints securing promotion into the top-flight.

And the latest reports indicate that there could be a much bigger money exit from the Etihad Stadium in the coming weeks, with interest from the Middle-East leaving one name as the ‘most likely’ player to find a path through the exit door.

According to the information of The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Portugal international midfielder Matheus Nunes is currently considered as the most likely player to leave Manchester City this summer.

It is explained that interest in the £53 million recruit from the ever-ambitious Saudi Arabia, as well as City’s own interest in strengthening their midfield with Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, might ‘accelerate’ the former Wolves man’s exit.

Despite struggles to fit into Pep Guardiola’s playing style during his first season with the club, the report stresses that Matheus Nunes is ‘not considered a lost cause’, but factors including squad size and an intention to recruit in midfield reduces the player’s chances of game time.

Manchester City are currently in the market for a new central midfielder, and are widely believed to have identified Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes as their number one target for the remainder of the window in that position.

There is an acceptance within the Etihad Stadium offices that the club require a more capable back-up to defensive midfield mainstay Rodrigo, and Guimaraes’ ability to operate as a lone holding midfielder and further forward makes him an excellent candidate.

Bayern Munich and Germany international Joshua Kimmich remains a candidate too, however the 29-year-old is waiting until the conclusion of the ongoing European Championships in his home nation before conversing with his club over his future.