Man City relegation: which players will stay and leave?

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 17 Sep 2024 08:32 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester City’s legal battle against the Premier League has begun this week, with Pep Guardiola’s side facing the serious threat of punishments that could include relegation.

City are facing 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-year period, although the club have denied all the accusations and have maintained their innocence throughout.

Should the charges be upheld, however, City could face a range of punishments including expulsion from the Premier League, a transfer ban, or a significant points deduction.

READ MORE: Man City’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Relegation, in particular, would prove catastrophic for the champions of the last four seasons, with a large portion of City’s world-class talent likely to leave in such an event.

But which specific players would be the most probable to depart the Etihad upon relegation? And who could the club hold onto? FootballTransfers explores the potential state of City’s squad if the worst was to happen.

Which players are likely to leave Man City if they are relegated?

Some of City’s stars are already facing uncertain futures at the club regardless of the legal case, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Ederson being pursued by Saudi Pro League sides, while Real Madrid have made Rodri a priority target for next summer.

Undoubtedly the biggest prize from City’s fire sale would be Erling Haaland, with the relegation providing a good opportunity for the striker to continue his career at another of Europe’s top sides.

Other elite talents such as Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Josko Gvardiol would also undoubtedly attract attention and provide easy opportunities for City to raise funds to stop any financial bleeding that will likely occur.

After that, City may take the opportunity to move on from senior players like Kyle Walker, John Stones and Mateo Kovacic to progress towards a younger rebuild, with doubts over the likes of Manuel Akanji, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes too.

However, City’s most precious jewel of all would be trying to keep hold of Guardiola, who is out of contract next summer anyway, and, although unlikely, the club would surely do everything in their power to try and convince the Spaniard to stay.

Which players could STAY at Man City if they are relegated?

City’s academy has long-provided Premier League talent and they may look to build around their wonderkids who have otherwise found themselves as squad options, such as Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb and James McAtee.

Question marks will also arise over their biggest academy talent in Phil Foden and, while he could play for most clubs in world football, the 24-year-old could also opt to help his boyhood side recover from their dramatic fall.

Long-term servants like Nathan Ake and the returning Ilkay Gundogan could also sacrifice opportunities to leave in order to remain where they are settled.

Young talent such as Jeremy Doku and Savinho may also choose to remain committed to their long-term contracts in the hopes of leading City into their new era, giving the club a solid platform to return to their previous glories.