Man City owner Sheikh Mansour prepares for Pep Guardiola battle as Phil Foden plan suggested

Manchester City's summer will be an interesting one as it revolves more around departures than signings.

Several players have seen rumours build around their futures including Julian Alvarez who has had Atletico Madrid sniff around him, Sergio Gomez who is expected to be sold after failing to break into the starting line-up and Kalvin Phillips who was sent on loan to West Ham in January, is expected to make a permanent exit. However, one asset who they won't want to see leave is Pep Guardiola.

The Catalan head coach has had an historic impact on the Blues since his arrival from Bayern Munich. But in our latest look at the media headlines, City are expecting a battle to keep him.

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City preparing for Guardiola fight

According to the Daily Mirror, City owner Sheikh Mansour is preparing for a fight to convince Guardiola to remain at the Etihad Stadium. It is understood Mansour welcomed Guardiola, Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain to the UAE last week as has become tradition at the end of the season.

While Guardiola is not thought to be driven by money, City are prepared to offer him £20m per year to stay in Manchester.

What MEN Sport says: This is not the first time that we have seen Guardiola's future put into extreme doubt and if it was to follow precedent then City have nothing to worry about. However, there does feel a sense of foreboding surrounding Guardiola. He has won the Champions League, he has completed the Treble, he has won four Premier League titles in a row. From his perspective, what is there left to achieve in Manchester? It is reassuring to see City chuck the kitchen sink at Guardiola to keep him but the concern is whether that will be enough.

Kaka suggests Foden plan

Ahead of England's first match at Euro 2024, Brazil legend Kaka has suggested Phil Foden would benefit more from playing on the wing than in the centre. He told The Times: "I’ve seen a lot of City games and I think Foden is growing.

"We are seeing that he is more mature, he has more responsibility. He’s ready for that. It’s really interesting to see him improving.

"I like to see this situation because you never know how a player is going to develop, if they are going to be able to do it. I see him as a winger. As a winger, he has more space to be creative. When you play in the middle it’s really hard because you don’t have so much space.

"When Foden has this space he can be very dangerous."

What MEN Sport says: Kaka has opened up an interesting can of worms in the Foden debate. However, his suggestion is neither what Foden wants nor what City needs. The Stockport-born midfielder has spoken openly about his eagerness to play in the centre as he feels he plays better there. City also need to be prepping a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne considering his future is in doubt. Foden is the man to fill his boots in the centre but if City were to heed Kaka's advice, they would need to alter their plans entirely and look for a creative midfielder this summer.