Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will not be pursuing Declan Rice anymore, but had made contingency plans as they chased the West Ham star.
Ultimately Arsenal's £105m bid was beyond what the treble winners wanted to pay and they have backed out of the race, leaving the Hammers star free to go to the Emirates if the two parties can agree a deal. City knew they would've had to sell players if they were to sign Rice.
As a result several individuals were identified, but their futures are now in limbo after City backed out of the Rice transfer. Guardiola is still pursuing some expensive targets however, namely Josko Gvardiol at RB Leipzig, who could end up costing over £100m.
The Daily Mail understands that three men in blue were potentially going to be moved on - Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez. Bernardo would be the toughest pill to swallow given his involvement and contributions in recent years, with Guardiola often lauding the Portuguese star.
It is no secret that he's been seeking a move elsewhere with PSG and Saudi Arabian clubs interested in the playmaker. City will not let him leave on the cheap however and no club has yet met their hefty valuation with the player still having two years to run on his deal.
Laporte was in tears after City's final home game and, after seeing his minutes greatly reduced, is expected to move on. The Spaniard is someway down the pecking order but so far no approaches have been made for the centre-half, who has previously been a regular.
Mahrez has been in and out of the starting XI and is among a host of names who could be the subject of a lucrative bid from the Middle East, where several Premier League stars have already headed. The Algerian has been at the Etihad since 2018 and enjoyed a trophy-laden period in blue.
In terms of arrivals, Mateo Kovacic has become the first major name to head to City after joining for £25m from Chelsea. He will fill holes in midfield following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan, who moved to Barcelona when his contract expired.
Guardiola's side have also joined the race for the Liverpool and Chelsea-linked Celta Vigo youngster Gabriel Veiga. No bid has yet been lodged for the player who has a £35m release clause in his contract.
