Four to stay, three to leave: Man City transfers that could happen before January deadline

Manchester City have made a habit of mid-season shopping under sporting director Hugo Viana, with around £264m forked out on new players across the last two January transfer windows.

A total of £84m has been spent on two new additions this month, with Pep Guardiola’s side bringing in attacker Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for £64m before signing centre-back Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace for a cut-price £20m.

No further incomings are expected at the Etihad Stadium, but there could be a number of departures before the February 2 deadline.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at three Man City players who could leave before the winter window closes and four players who are more likely to stay amid speculation over their futures.

Man City players who could leave this month:

Oscar Bobb

Man City had high hopes for Oscar Bobb when he eventually broke into the senior side after starring at academy level, but an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign halted his development and he has since struggled to make his mark in the first team this season.

The 22-year-old Norway international, who has failed to score and has registered only one assist across nine starts and six substitute appearances for the Citizens in all competitions, has been tipped to leave this month due to his lack of game time and also the January arrival of Semenyo.

Recent reports have claimed that Fulham have held talks with Man City over a proposed £35m transfer for the versatile winger, which would represent a club-record deal for the Cottagers.

The likes of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Crystal Palace have also been credited with an interest in Bobb, who is ‘expected’ to leave City before the winter window slams shut.

Stefan Ortega

Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has fallen down the pecking order under Guardiola since the arrivals of Gianluigi Donnarumma, James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli last summer.

The 33-year-old is now effectively fourth-choice shot-stopper at Man City and has not made a single appearance for the club in any competition this season, featuring as an unused substitute just once on the opening weekend of the Premier League season back in August.

Ortega played 56 times for Man City and kept 25 clean sheets before falling out of favour, and the German is now keen to move on in search of regular game time, with a return to his native Germany seemingly the most likely outcome.

Kalvin Phillips

Another Man City outcast is midfielder Kalvin Phillips who, brutally speaking, has been rotting away at the Etihad for some time and has no future at the club, with fitness issues and his inability to impress Guardiola leading to his decline.

The 30-year-old has made just one first-team appearance for Man City since December 2023 - a seven-minute substitute appearance in an EFL Cup win over Huddersfield in September 2025 - and in that time has also experienced loan spells at West Ham United and Ipswich Town.

According to the Daily Mail, Phillips could be offered a career lifeline with Premier League basement club Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are said to be ready to revive their interest in the England international should in-demand Joao Gomes leave Molineux this month.

Man City would ideally like to see Phillips leave on a permanent basis and remove him from their wage bill, with the former Leeds man under contract at the Etihad until June 2028.

Man City players who could stay this month:

Earlier in the January window, Nathan Ake was tipped to leave Man City in search of regular first-team football in order to boost his hopes of representing the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup.

However, with Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones all sidelined with injuries, the Citizens are reluctant to let Ake go when Guardiola’s side are still competing in four different competitions.

Brazilian winger Savinho was the subject of intense speculation last summer amid reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur, but a transfer failed to materialise and he eventually put pen to paper on a new long-term contract until 2031.

Savinho’s lack of an end product has frustrated many City fans (two goals, three assists in 23 appearances this season), but Guardiola still counts on the 21-year-old as a valuable first-team squad member and an exit this month - at a time when he is injured - is not on the cards.

Fellow attacker Omar Marmoush has allegedly attracted interest from both Spurs and Aston Villa this month, but Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg claims that the 27-year-old currently has no plans to leave City and intends to stay and fight for his place under Guardiola.

A year on from his £59m arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt, Marmoush is keen to prove his worth at the Etihad having experienced a disrupted 2025-26 campaign, with a lengthy spell out through injury followed by his involvement with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Last but not least, goalkeeper James Trafford will be staying at Man City this month, as confirmed by Guardiola, despite suggestions that he has grown frustrated as an understudy to first-choice shot-stopper Donnarumma.

Guardiola is believed to have privately told the 23-year-old that he needs him for the cup competitions during the second half of this season and his future at the club can then be assessed in the summer.