Pep Guardiola's plan to reshape Manchester City’s squad is being complicated by a contractual time-bomb.
City have SEVEN senior players in the final year of lucrative long-term deals bolstered by big-money loyalty payments.
Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Bacary Sagna and Willy Caballero are all out of contract next summer – and City have not yet offered new terms.
Etihad chiefs are being further hamstrung by the need to trim Guardiola’s squad to meet Premier League squad regulations on overseas players.
Top-flight clubs are allowed to name no more that 17 foreign players aged 21 or over in their 25-man squads.
At the moment, City have 18 — and that doesn’t include new signings Geronimo Rulli and Aaron Mooy, who are being loaned out to Real Sociedad and Huddersfield Town, respectively, because there is no room.
Blues bosses hoped that several departures would bolster a £200million transfer chest and enable them to trim the wage bill in preparation for new arrivals.
But the players City were ready to sacrifice are all on big wages and are due substantial loyalty bonuses, if they walk away as free agents next summer.
Toure has turned down the opportunity to link up again with former City boss Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan and has rejected huge offers from China.
Zabaleta also attracted interest from Italy, with Roma stong admirers.
Navas is wanted back at Sevilla and Caballero would also be allowed to leave. But plotting the departures of that quartet has proven problematic because they are aware that they can run down their contracts, trigger loyalty payments from City and then secure huge signing-on fees when they become available.
City will also listen to offers for Eliaquim Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov and Wilfried Bony.
The lack of departures means they are concentrating on young or homegrown recruits.
That is one reason why interest in Torino’s Brazilian right-back Bruno Peres has been replaced by Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, with the 21-year-old Spaniard counted as homegrown.
John Stones is a big Guardiola target and City are ready to meet Everton’s £50m demand.
The Blues also expect a deal for Leroy Sane to be completed, despite Schalke’s determination that their £42m asking price for the 20-year-old is met in full. Sane’s age means he won’t be counted as an overseas player.
The only players to depart the squad left by Manuel Pellegrini have been Martin Demichelis and third-choice keeper Richard Wright.
Rulli, the Argentine keeper bought from Malondano for £7m, may be loaned to Real Sociedad and Australian midfielder Mooy is on loan to Huddersfield.
City have also bought German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, from Borussia Dortmund for £20m, and Spanish winger Nolito from Celta Vigo for £12.75m.
Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko, 19, has joined from FC Ufa for £1.5m and City hope to get two more teenagers, Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus and Colombian Marlos Moreno.
