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Manchester City confirm the departures of Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Willy Caballero and Bacary Sagna

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Manchester City today confirmed the departure of four out of the five remaining senior players whose contracts were expiring this summer.

Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Willy Caballero and Bacary Sagna will leave the club when their contracts expire on June 30.

All four players follow Pablo Zabaleta out of the club at the start of a summer that could see significant transfer activity with just the future of Yaya Toure, 34, yet to be clarified among the senior players.

Clichy, 31, signed from Arsenal six years ago and has won two Premier Leagues and two League Cups with the club having made 203 appearances and scored three goals during that time.

Navas, 31, joined four years ago, winning a Premier League and two League Cups, making 183 appearances and scoring eight goals for City.

The Spanish winger had been used as an auxiliary right back in some games towards the end of the last season where City boss Pep Guardiola valued his ability to attack the right flank as well as providing cover tracking back.

Willy Caballero, 35, made 48 appearances for City over three seasons as backup for Joe Hart and Claudio Bravo before displacing Bravo towards the end of last season. The Argentine ‘keeper achieved cult status when he pulled off penalty saves in the 2016 League Cup final shootout against Liverpool to lift the trophy for City.

Finally Bacary Sagna, 34, made 86 appearances over three years – also lifting the League Cup.

Pep Guardiola had previously suggested that several of the players known to have expiring contracts would be offered new ones but the mass exodus of over-30 defensively minded players has left City with just one recognised full back in 19-year-old Pablo Maffeo while Aleksandar Kolarov, 31, is entering the final year of his contract and was used mainly as a ball-playing central defender last term by Guardiola.

There have been strong rumours surrounding potential replacements with Spurs right back Kyle Walker posting nine cryptic messages on Instagram spelling out “Thank You”.

Walker fits the Guardiola’s profile of fit, quick full backs who are comfortable on the ball and able to play in central midfield as do other targets such as Monaco’s Fabinho and Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin.

Although club captain Vincent Kompany seems to have proved his fitness in 2017, question marks remain over the fate of fellow centre backs Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala.

Mangala was on loan last season at Valencia but the La Liga side claimed he was too expensive to buy and allowed a €20m option to laps while Otamendi has been linked with a variety of moves away from the club this summer.

With City’s defence already needing reinforcements any additional departures  could mean a shopping spree in the summer unless Guardiola opts to promote youth players but next season seems a bit early to be blooding youngsters from the existing EDS team according to remarks made by the Spaniard in recent pre-match conferences.

Focus away from senior players and on to youth players?

Tosin Adarabioyo has reportedly signed a new deal to stay at the club which will be a blow to Celtic’s hopes of signing the 19-year-old central defender who has yet to feature in the Premier League for City.

Another player who has caught Celtic’s eye, Patrick Roberts, could feature for the Hoops in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen.

Roberts’ 18-month loan spell in Glasgow ends this weekend but has admitted that “nobody from the club has been in touch”, adding that the City wanted him to enjoy the final, win a trophy, and discuss matters after that.