Pep Guardiola wants to reduce his squad at Manchester City. Which stars will have to leave? According to a British media report, Manuel Akanji is a hot candidate for sale.
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- Manchester City want to get rid of one or two players before the end of the transfer window on September 1.
- According to a media report, Manuel Akanji is one of the candidates for sale.
- The international defender faces stiff competition in Pep Guardiola's star-studded squad, but has been a mainstay since his arrival in the summer of 2022.
September 1, 2022: Manuel Akanji, who has been sidelined at Dortmund for some time due to his transfer intentions, signs a contract with Manchester City until 2027 on deadline day. The reactions are mixed. On the one hand, there is praise for the move to Pep Guardiola's star ensemble. On the other hand, there are fears that the national team defender will soon lack match practice.
But Guardiola turned out to be a big Akanji fan and immediately backed the then 27-year-old, who played an outstanding season - Man City won the treble and Akanji was even directly involved in the decisive goal in the Champions League final.
Only central defender number 5?
Despite fierce competition, the Swiss remained a regular in the years that followed. But now Akanji's time in Manchester could come to an abrupt end. According to the "Manchester Evening News", the 30-year-old is a hot candidate for sale.
According to the newspaper, Man City want to sell a few more players by the end of the month in order to reduce the size of the squad. The Citizens have a luxury problem in the center of defence in particular. With Rúben Dias, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji, there are six central defenders in the squad who would be regulars in pretty much any other team.
Dias and Stones both made appearances in the season opener at Wolverhampton on Saturday. Stones was substituted in the closing stages - for Khusanov. Akanji languished on the bench for 90 minutes.
Guardiola has "too many players"
After the game, Guardiola explained that he had "too many players". "I like a wide squad to be able to compete in all competitions, but I don't want to leave any players at home. That's not healthy. You can't create a good mood and atmosphere like that."
The "Manchester Evening News" speculates that Akanji may even be missing from the squad for the next game when the set Gvardiol returns from injury. Nathan Aké is also seen as a possible sales candidate. However, the Dutchman has the advantage of having trained in England with Chelsea. In the Premier League, every club must have at least eight so-called "homegrown players" in its squad.
What speaks in favor of Akanji staying: He is versatile and can also play right-back or left-back. He has also played in defensive midfield under Guardiola. The Catalan star coach has always placed a lot of trust in the Swiss in the past.
However, the first transfer rumor is already out there. According to the French newspaper "L'Équipe " and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Galatasaray Istanbul are interested in Akanji. Talks and an initial contract offer are said to have already taken place.
