Man City make decision on academy graduate amid transfer interest

Nico O'Reilly was the breakthrough star for Manchester City last season but his rise hasn't gone unnoticed and he is attracting interest from elsewhere.

Pep Guardiola is pleased with Nico O'Reilly's development and has no plans to sell the academy graduate this summer

Manchester City intend to keep Nico O'Reilly this summer with Pep Guardiola delighted with the academy graduate's development over the past 12 months.

O'Reilly was one of the few positives for City last season, filling in out-of-position at left-back and his impressive performances earned praise from Guardiola and his teammates.

But the Blues have spent £31million on left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves this summer, while the competition is fierce for O'Reilly in his preferred position as holding midfielder.

That has reportedly put clubs in the Premier League and Bundesliga on alert, with plenty of interest in the 20-year-old this summer. Guardiola has already made it clear he wants his large squad to be cut before the start of the season.

There are no plans for City to cash in on O'Reilly, however. The club have a profitable model of selling academy graduates and James McAtee is likely to be the latest example of that this summer, with a £25million departure on the cards.

City don't expect to see O'Reilly leave, though. His versatility is an asset after performing so well at left-back and importantly he can fill homegrown slots in the Premier League and UEFA squads as well.

Speaking in April, Guardiola praised the impact O'Reilly had had on the team and said he still expected him to end up as an attacking midfielder.

"The impact has been good," said Guardiola. "We now have one game a week, so Nico has to recover and he has to see if he can play every three days like Bernardo [Silva] has proven, or Kevin [de Bruyne] and Ruben [Dias] have proven.

"I don't know if these young players are able to play three games a week during a month. But it's a reality already.

"I admire a lot that he is playing in a position he has never played before. He is learning. Of course, he has to improve, but with the ball it's good.

"His position is - I'm pretty sure - attacking midfielder and every cross he is on the penalty spot. That's what I like as an attacking midfielder.

"I'm pretty sure [he is a midfielder], otherwise he doesn't score the goals like he has scored so far. He likes to be there, he has a good shot and quality in small spaces and it's helping us."

City have a larger-than-usual squad at the moment, and director of football Hugo Viana is working on trimming the numbers. Kyle Walker has already joined Burnley, and there is an expectation that Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish, and McAtee will also depart.

More players will have to follow, and the futures of midfield pair Nico Gonzalez and Ilkay Gundogan are uncertain.

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