With only two games left of the 2021/22 Premier League season, Manchester City are understandably focused on securing their sixth English top-flight title in just eleven seasons before the transfer window opens next month.
Behind the scenes, though, it is believed that the board have already started looking ahead to the summer and towards shaping the squad for the next campaign, in which they will hope to be defending the title once again.
While some Manchester City players are considered unsellable by the club – namely Phil Foden and Rodrigo – there are others for whom Txiki Begiristain and his colleagues would at least be prepared to listen to offers for.
According to a new report by Miguel Delaney of The Independent, the two biggest names on the aforementioned list are attacking duo, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.
Raheem Sterling was linked with a loan move to Barcelona in January, following a poor run of form at the start of the ongoing season. That transfer never materialised, with the Catalan outfit ultimately opting to permanently purchase Ferran Torres from Manchester City instead.
In recent weeks, though, Sterling has once again been rumoured to be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium – this time to link up with Antonio Conte at Tottenham, although it is now reported that his preference would still be to move to Spain, if he was to leave Manchester.
Like Raheem Sterling, Algerian hero Riyad Mahrez has a Manchester City contract that expires at the end of next season in the summer of 2023.
A rumoured extension for the former Leicester man is yet to be announced, fuelling speculation that the winger could be leaving this year so that Manchester City do not lose him on a free transfer.
While Manchester City will at least hear out any teams wanting to buy either of these players, it is unlikely that they will allow both to leave in the same transfer window – even with the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez to bolster the front line ahead of next season.
It is also unknown so far what impact the future of Gabriel Jesus – heavily linked with a move to Arsenal – will have on either potential departure.
Like Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus has played largely on the right wing this season, and Pep Guardiola will be reluctant to see that position weakened too much.
Sterling and Mahrez have notched up almost 200 goals for Manchester City between them, and as such it is fair to say that the loss of either would be keenly felt by the Etihad faithful.