Manchester City set to lose two key players from treble-winning squad: report

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, arrives at the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match between FC Internazionale and Manchester City FC at Atatuerk Olympic Stadium on June 10, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.
(Image credit: Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)

Manchester City may have won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup last season, but that might not be enough to keep two key members of their squad.

Having already lost Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona this summer, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City would prefer to keep their treble-winning squad together as best as they can. Past seasons have shown that they will sell if players don't want to stick around, though. 

While Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig looks set to arrive at the Etihad Stadium for a club-record transfer fee, two players could be on their way out, with enticing transfer fees expected for both. 

According to The Athletic, Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli are readying a £30m bid to Manchester City for Riyadh Mahrez. The Algerian winger has been offered a deal worth £25m a year, and is considering what to do with his future. 

At 32, Mahrez still has two years remaining on his contract, representing good value for a player entering the twilight of his career. However, the report also suggests Manchester City are unsure about letting him go - he played 47 times for them in all competitions last season.

Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva could finally get his dream move to Barcelona, following in the steps of his former captain Gundogan. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reports that the Spanish champions are prioritising the Portuguese midfielder, who also has a lucrative contract offer on the table from Saudi Arabia. 

Riyad Mahrez appluads the Manchester City fans at Wembley after their 3-0 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals in April 2023.

Mahrez is currently considering his future, according to reports (Image credit: Getty Images)

It is no secret that Bernardo Silva would welcome a move to Barcelona, with Pep Guardiola even admitting last summer that the 28-year-old "really likes" the club, while Silva's dad even claimed Barca made him an offer around the same time, too. 

Transfermarkt values Mahrez at €20m, while Silva is valued at €80m. 

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva celebrates

Silva could be on the way to Barcelona this summer (Image credit: Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

More Manchester City stories

After securing a historic TrebleManchester City transfer news is gathering steam ahead of next season.

Jude Bellingham reportedly turned down the new European champions after taking inspiration from Erling Haaland's career path – though Alphonso Davies could move to the Etihad Stadium

Pep Guardiola's side want to smash their transfer record to bring in Josko Gvardiol in defence, though, having already signed Matteo Kovacic this summer. 

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.