Pep Guardiola confirms transfer plans for two Manchester City midfielders

Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kevin De Bruyne will not leave Manchester City this summer and revealed he hopes to retain the services of James McAtee for the 2024/25 campaign.

The City boss was speaking in North Carolina ahead of the club’s pre-season friendly against Celtic in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and it was the first time Guardiola has addressed the media since May’s FA Cup final loss to Manchester United.

Since then, the future of Kevin De Bruyne has been one of the major transfer stories of the summer, with the Belgian admitting he is tempted by the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia and has discussed his future with his family. Reports last week suggested the 33-year-old has even agreed personal terms with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, but Guardiola confirmed in his pre-Celtic press conference that De Bruyne is ‘not leaving’.

He’s not the only midfielder who looks set to stay at the Etihad this campaign, and Guardiola said he hopes to give McAtee more minutes this term. The academy graduate has made seven appearances for City but spent the majority of the last two years on loan at Sheffield United.

Having achieved promotion to and relegation from the Premier League in each of those seasons, McAtee had been linked with a permanent move away from City this summer, with Chelsea reportedly keen on the 21-year-old. However, that seems unlikely following Guardiola’s assessment on Tuesday.

“I would love to have, to keep him [McAtee] next season with us, because he’s a special guy to play in small spaces, in the pockets, and we don’t have many,” he opined.

“When you play in the Premier League in a team fighting to not be relegated you get something special. I am curious to see Macca especially. He’s a player I have a high opinion of, and I would like if he can insert properly with the team.”