Manchester City’s stance on Nico O’Reilly revealed amid exit rumours | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola remains a keen admirer of Nico O’Reilly at Manchester City, a new report has insisted following on from talk surrounding a potential exit for the 20-year-old.

Despite transfer noise gaining momentum over recent days, City have seemingly reaffirmed their confidence in the England youth international and are planning to integrate him further into first-team proceedings in the forthcoming campaign.

Manchester City’s stance comes amid growing interest in their latest star Academy graduate, which first emerged in the last January market and intensified this week following reports of a renewed enquiry from Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge club are known to admire the 20-year-old’s versatility and maturity. Yet City, still perhaps coming to terms with the loss of Cole Palmer to Chelsea in 2023, are eager to avoid a repeat scenario with another Academy graduate deemed ready for senior minutes.

This latest development also follows a report on Tuesday night from Fabrizio Romano, who claimed that Bundesliga and Premier League clubs were showing strong interest in O’Reilly, with several clubs prepared to offer regular first team opportunities; a priority for the player.

Now, according to the information of The Times’ Paul Hirst, Manchester City want to keep Nico O’Reilly at the club with no plans for the versatile midfielder to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer.

It is further stressed that City head coach Pep Guardiola is ‘very happy’ with the player, following on from his performances in a variety of roles for the club throughout the course of last season.

O’Reilly’s adaptability has become one of his standout attributes; whether deployed in his natural central midfield role, or filling in at left-back, the Academy graduate has shown a strong understanding of positional discipline and tactical flexibility – traits that Pep Guardiola values immensely.

With James McAtee likely to depart on a permanent basis and uncertainty still surrounding Kalvin Phillips, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic’s respective futures, O’Reilly may find his opportunities increase organically over the course of the campaign.

His development could also benefit from Manchester City’s evolving midfield structure, which has now welcomed Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan and Rayan Cherki from Lyon as part of this summer’s rebuild.

Looking ahead, City are likely to involve O’Reilly in any pre-season fixtures, which currently includes a singular meeting with fellow City Football Group side Palermo on Saturday 9 August.

But for now, the message is clear from the part of Etihad recruitment officials: while external interest may persist, Manchester City are holding firm and Nico O’Reilly remains a part of the club’s future plans.