Pep Guardiola has opened up about Manchester City's decision to sell Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer.
City have been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in the transfer window so far, having signed four players and letting another five leave. Erling Haaland Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega have replaced Jesus, Sterling, Zinchenko and Fernandinho, while Zack Steffen has joined Middlesbrough on loan and a number of academy players have departed permanently or on loan.
It's been an unusually busy summer for City in the transfer market, and there is some risk in allowing the three key outfield players to depart, but Guardiola was positive when reviewing the club's business so far. He also explained how this summer feels different to others he has had at the club since joining from Bayern Munich in 2016.
"So far I am so excited and so happy," he said. "Sometimes the market was strange for us. Normally we are a team that buy and didn’t sell much. This summer for different reasons, we sell some players. Sometimes you want to do it but you can’t. This summer it happened so quick. not just first-team players, academy and loan players. New players have come and we continue with them."
Guardiola also hinted that he would have been more than happy for Sterling, Jesus and Zinchenko to stay, repeating his long-held stance that unhappy players will be allowed to leave. All three players helped City to win the Premier League last season and have been integral to their success over the past six seasons.
"No [the outgoings weren't guaranteed] because I was incredibly happy with Gabriel, Oleks and Raheem," Guardiola said. "If they stayed longer there would be no problem. They proved last year how good they are.
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"But sometimes the players want more, and the club feel it is the right moment to do it. But the most important thing is they leave happy with the club and what they have done.
"Normally when you talk about transfers in Spain, Germany, England it is 10 per cent more. It happens and we know it. It happens because they are really good. They are the best ages and their best years are maybe coming now. That’s why they have a value in the market.
" Chelsea and Arsenal have paid the money that is fair. And the discussions were perfect, Txiki [Begiristain] told me. Good for both sides and really friendly."
City's Premier League campaign gets underway on August 7 when they travel to West Ham United on Super Sunday. This is after the Community Shield, where they take on Liverpool at the King Power Stadium in Leicester this weekend.
