Man City boss Pep Guardiola could reportedly be given the opportunity to offload Fabian Delph this summer, with Stoke City keen on the midfielder.
The 27-year-old moved to the Etihad from Aston Villa in 2015, and has gone on to make just 24 Premier League appearances for City in the time since.
From being a pivotal figure for his club and after breaking into the England squad, things haven’t gone as planned for Delph in Manchester, and it could now lead to a possible exit this summer.
According to the Stoke Sentinel, Mark Hughes has been in talks with City about taking Delph to the Potters on loan next season, although the Stoke boss added that the situation has been ongoing for a couple weeks and at this point, he’s merely just waiting to see what City wish to do.
While the Sentinel suggest that it will be a loan move, The Telegraph report that Stoke have launched a £12m bid for the England midfielder which would arguably be a more appealing offer.
Given his lack of playing time and the competition that he faces under Guardiola, it would seem like the obvious choice for Delph to make the move and get his career back on track with regular football.
However, it remains to be seen what Guardiola decides to do, as although he has used him sparingly so far, he could act as decent depth and cover given City will be looking to compete in various competitions next season.
Delph could be one of several players heading out the exit door this summer, with BBC Sport noting that Kelechi Iheanacho could complete a £25m move to Leicester City.
In turn, Guardiola will be looking at getting rid of players he deems expendable, while the funds raised by these sales will undoubtedly go towards acquiring his top targets.