As seems to happen every summer with Man City, a number of the club's players have been linked with moves elsewhere.
The club's policy of not standing in the way of anyone wanting to leave means that's basically inevitable, with the likes of Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva all linked with departing during the summer transfer window this year. City have been fair with players who have wanted more playing time in the past and should any of their current squad make it clear they are in need of minutes that Pep Guardiola is unable to currently offer, a move away is the logical step.
That is exactly what happened last summer with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko all being allowed to depart for clubs traditionally classed as direct Premier League rivals. All three clocked meaningful minutes during the last campaign with the latter two almost helping Arsenal to the title at City's expense.
But it is unlikely their success will see a change in policy, with the departures providing a much-welcome boost to the transfer kitty. Interest in RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol appears to open the door for Laporte to seek pastures new this summer, while young goalkeeper James Trafford also looks set to join Vincent Kompany's Burnley.
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Trafford is regarded as one of England's top goalkeeping prospects, but after seeing his pathway to the City first-team currently being blocked by Ederson and Stefan Ortega, he's taken the decision to continue his development elsewhere. Trafford was stood between the sticks on Wednesday night as England U21s booked their place in the EURO U21 final with a 3-0 win over Israel.
And it was one of Trafford's teammates at City who provided the spark for his country. Cole Palmer was involved in every goal for England as he scored one and provided two assists - showing he may have just as much potential as Trafford.
Palmer’s delivery in the 42nd minute was met by the head of Morgan Gibbs-White before roles were reversed in the second half for the City starlet to score himself. And in the final minutes, Cameron Archer smashed in Palmer’s pass to complete the win.
Palmer is another name that has been linked with the City exit door this summer, but if his latest performance is anything to go by he may have just given Guardiola food for thought. It is clear the City prospect is among the top talents for his age group and he could have a high ceiling - meaning selling him now may cause City to regret their choice in the future.
The 21-year-old clocked up 14 Premier League appearances last season, although with those mostly coming from the bench it meant he only managed 358 minutes. An FA Cup goal in the 6-0 rout against Burnley proved his only goal of the campaign, while his assist for Julian Alvarez against Chelsea in the Premier League was his only assist.
But Palmer has shown with his form for the England U21 side that he has what it takes to make more of a mark at club level too should he be given a run of games to get into his stride. While a move may get him the minutes he surely craves, Guardiola will have to think long and hard before allowing such a prospect to depart - or whether he can integrate him more successfully into his first team than he did last season.
