'Maybe tomorrow' - Pep Guardiola expects Man City transfer call on Rico Lewis

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about Rico Lewis amid transfer interest from Nottingham Forest

Rico Lewis

Pep Guardiola expects Rico Lewis to stay at Manchester City - but did not rule out a departure. Nottingham Forest are interested in signing the academy graduate with two weeks of the transfer window remaining.

Lewis has had a promising summer with the Blues, but was left out of the matchday squad for the FA Cup Final last season despite scoring the opening goal in their semi-final win. Having bagged James McAtee from City, Forest are looking to snap up another homegrown talent from the Etihad.

That talent was on display again in the 4-0 win at Wolves on Saturday, with Lewis excellent at right-back before being replaced by Matheus Nunes. City have not signed a specialist right-back in the transfer window, so the position is up for grabs.

Guardiola has spoken to the player about a possible departure, and while he thinks he will stay there were no guarantees in a summer of change for the squad.

"I think he is going to stay. I think," he said. "He told me that. But maybe tomorrow it changes.

"For example for the case with Phil, for Rico, for Nico O’Reilly, I have special sympathy because they were 16 or 17 years old when they arrived here and we were winning Premier Leagues. In his role he is an extraordinary player.

"But he is so small. If he was taller we’d say, 'oh what a player'. Today, I think he is going to stay but I don’t know what is going to happen."

For his part, Lewis expressed his desire to stay at the Etihad. Speaking after the win over Forest the 20-year-old made it clear that he would like to remain at City and fight for his first-team opportunities.

"For me, I've never, ever seen myself at a different club," Lewis said. "I've always wanted to play for City. It's my dream club, and like you see today, when I'm playing with the kind of players that I'm playing with, it brings out the best in me, so I'm so happy.

"Everyone wants assurance and security, but at the end of the day, it's on me," he said. "It's on me to perform. It's on me to take the chances. If I take my own chances, I do it. If I don't, then I have to work and get better.

"Last season I played more than the season before, this season I want to play more than last season, so it's always the same goal, becoming an established player."

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